Agnieszka Bzikowska-Jura

Introduction: Breast milk is the best food for a growing infant during the first 6 months of life. The presence of trans fatty acids (TFAs) in breast milk can interfere with the synthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), increasing the risk of developing, among other issues, asthma or atopic dermatitis. TFAs are not synthesised de novo in the human body. Their content in breast milk may be a good marker of short-term dietary intake of these compounds by breastfeeding mothers. However, the literature shows differences in the assessment of the relationship between dietary TFAs intake and TFAs content in breast milk. Furthermore, the decrease in the TFAs content in food observed recently seems to make it impossible to use Craig-Schmidt’s formula to estimate the TFAs content in the diet or in breast milk. The aim of this study was to confirm the possibility of using TFAs content in breast milk as a marker of their short-term intake within the breastfeeding mother’s diet, together with an attempt at preliminary quantitative determination of the relationship between these parameters. Materials: The study material was collected from a single breastfeeding mother and included 10 breast milk samples and 10 samples of daily food rations reconstructed based on the 24 h food consumption survey. Methods: The content of fatty acids, including TFAs, was determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results: The TFAs content in the whole-day mother’s diet and in 100 mL of breast milk ranged from 0.11 to 0.54 g/day and from 0.02 to 0.07 g, respectively. A strong statistically significant (p < 0.05) positive correlation between these parameters was found. Equations for an exploratory linear relationship between the TFAs content in a breastfeeding mother’s diet and the concentration of these fatty acids in breast milk have been developed. Due to the small number of samples, these data should be interpreted very cautiously and validated in a larger cohort. Conclusions: This single-participant pilot study suggests that TFAs content in breast milk may be a marker of the dietary intake of these compounds from the previous day. It seems that the dietary habits of breastfeeding mothers of twins are a significant factor influencing the composition of breast milk and, consequently, the nutritional quality of breastfed infants.

Background: Infertility is a major public health concern worldwide. While excess body weight is a well-established risk factor for impaired fertility, increasing evidence indicates that elevated body fat content may also occur in women with normal body mass index, a phenotype described as normal-weight obesity. This study aimed to assess associations between diet quality, intake of selected nutrients, and body fat content among women attending an infertility clinic with body mass index (BMI) within the normal range. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 45 women with infertility and normal BMI (18.5–24.99 kg/m²). Dietary intake was assessed using 3-day food diaries and a food frequency questionnaire. Diet quality was evaluated using the pro-healthy diet index, non-healthy diet index, and diet quality index. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Participants were divided according to median body fat percentage, 30%) indicated normal weight obesity. No differences were observed in pHDI, nHDI, or DQI scores between groups after correction for multiple comparisons. Inadequate iron intake was reported in all women. Conclusions: Among women with infertility and normal BMI, body fat percentage varied widely. No associations were observed between dietary variables and body composition parameters.

Background and Objective: In recent years, there has been a dynamic development of artificial intelligence (AI), which has resulted in increased interest in its use in medical areas such as dietetics and psychodietetic. Current evidence remains insufficient to determine whether large language models (LLMs) are capable of generating diagnostically and therapeutically relevant responses in simulated psychodietetic scenarios. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance LLMs—ChatGPT and Google Gemini—in simulated tasks related to diagnosis and psychodietetic intervention in anorexia nervosa (AN). Methods: Two complementary studies were conducted—the first, in which both models played the role of a patient suffering from anorexia and were tasked with answering questions asked in a psychodietetic interview, and the second, in which the chats analysed the case of a patient suffering from anorexia presented to them, and their task was to propose a correct diagnosis and therapy. Results: Both models have demonstrated the ability to engage with prompted scenarios and generate relevant, consistent responses. They were able to perform appropriate analyses, identify abnormal behaviors and formulate orderly diagnostic and therapeutic interpretations. At the same time, during the research, some differences were observed between the models in their interpretative approach and the level of development of the analyses. Conclusions: A key limitation of the models was a limited depth of empathic engagement and a reduced capacity for context-sensitive emotional responsiveness. Nevertheless, LLMs can potentially provide support in psychodietetic interventions if they are programmed correctly and are not abused in areas where they are not doing well enough.

Human milk (HM) is recognized as the optimal source of nutrition for infants, providing essential nutrients, bioactive compounds, and immunological protection crucial for proper growth and development. However, due to increasing environmental pollution, HM may also serve as a vector for exposure to toxic substances, including heavy metals. These contaminants originate from both current environmental exposure and long-term accumulation in maternal tissues, which may be mobilized during pregnancy and lactation. Objectives: The aim of this review was to comprehensively analyze the occurrence, sources, and determinants of heavy and toxic metals in human milk, with particular emphasis on maternal–infant transfer pathways and geographical variability of exposure. Methods: A structured narrative review with systematic literature search elements was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The search covered studies published between 2010 and 2025 and was limited to articles written in English. The search strategy included terms related to human milk and heavy metal exposure (Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cr, Al). Predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and a qualitative synthesis of environmental, dietary, physiological, and lifestyle-related determinants, as well as geographical variability, was performed. Results: The available evidence indicates that heavy metals are commonly detected in human milk worldwide, with concentrations strongly influenced by environmental pollution, maternal diet, and lifestyle factors. Under typical exposure conditions, reported concentration ranges are approximately 2–5 µg/L for lead (Pb), 1.4–1.7 µg/L for mercury (Hg), and below 1 µg/L for cadmium (Cd). However, substantially higher levels have been reported in highly contaminated regions, with extreme values exceeding 1000 µg/L for Pb and 100 µg/L for Hg in isolated cases. Key exposure pathways include contaminated food, drinking water, air pollution, and endogenous mobilization of metals stored in maternal tissues (particularly bone and adipose tissue). Significant geographical variability was observed, with higher concentrations reported in industrialized and mining regions. Infants represent a highly vulnerable population due to immature detoxification systems, increased gastrointestinal absorption, and ongoing neurodevelopment, which may amplify toxic effects even at low exposure levels. Conclusions: Although human milk remains the gold standard for infant nutrition, the presence of heavy metals highlights the need for continuous environmental monitoring and preventive strategies aimed at reducing maternal exposure. The benefits of breastfeeding clearly outweigh the potential risks; however, minimizing environmental contamination remains a critical public health priority. Future research should focus on standardizing analytical methods, improving biomonitoring strategies, and better characterizing long-term health outcomes associated with early-life exposure to toxic metals.

Background: Emerging evidence implicates the gut-brain axis as a pathway through which dietary fiber may influence depressive symptoms, yet the shape of this associa-tion, its specificity to individual symptom domains remain underexplored. This study examined the association between dietary fiber intake and depression severity among US adults using data collected during a pandemic period of markedly elevated depres-sion prevalence. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 4043 adults (≥18 years) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2021-2023 cycle were analyzed. Die-tary fiber intake was derived from two 24-hour dietary recalls. Depression severity was classified into five ordered categories using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Survey-weighted ordinal logistic regression models with progressive covari-ate adjustment were fitted. Dose-response patterns were evaluated via quartile analy-sis and restricted cubic splines. Secondary analyses examined fiber source specificity and associations with individual PHQ-9 items. Results: In the fully adjusted model, higher fiber intake was inversely associated with depression severity (OR 0.89 per 1 SD increase, 95% CI 0.80-0.97, p = 0.012). Partici-pants in the highest intake quartile had 40% lower odds of greater severity compared with the lowest quartile (ptrend < 0.001). The dose response curve showed the steepest decline at lower intakes, plateauing near 25 g/day. Among fiber sources, only grain fi-ber was significantly associated with depression severity. Symptom-level analyses re-vealed selective inverse associations with anhedonia and sleep problems, although these findings should be interpreted as exploratory given the lack of correction for multiple comparisons. Conclusions: Dietary fiber intake is independently and inversely associated with de-pression severity in a dose-dependent manner. Observed syndrome-specific associa-tions with anhedonia and sleep disturbance warrant further investigation through prospective and interventional studies to clarify causality.

This study examined leptin and ghrelin concentrations in human milk (HM) in the first six months of lactation and their associations with maternal characteristics, milk composition, and infant weight gain. Twenty exclusively breastfeeding mothers were recruited from the University Hospital of...

Human milk (HM) is a complex biological fluid that plays a significant role in infant health, influenced by maternal dietary habits and body composition. This study aimed to explore how maternal diet and nutritional status affect the microbial composition of HM. In this pilot study, 15 mothers were recruited from a maternity ward and assessed for dietary habits through a semi-structured food frequency questionnaire and a 3-day dietary record. Maternal body composition was evaluated using bioelectrical impedance analysis. HM samples were collected for microbiota analysis, focusing on the diversity and composition of bacterial communities via 16S rRNA sequencing. The study identified that maternal nutrient intake significantly correlated with the composition of HM microbiota. Specifically, Firmicutes abundance showed positive correlations with animal protein (τ = 0.39; p = 0.043), total carbohydrates (τ = 0.39; p = 0.043), and vitamin A (τ = 0.429; p = 0.026). Bacteroidota was positively correlated with retinol (τ = 0.39; p = 0.043). Higher consumption of dietary fiber (>24 g/day) did not yield significant differences in bacterial composition compared to lower intake (p = 0.8977). Additionally, no significant differences were found in overall bacterial abundance across different maternal characteristics such as age, mode of delivery, or breastfeeding type. This study underscores the importance of maternal diet in shaping the HM microbiota, which may have implications for infant health. Dietary modifications during lactation could be a strategic approach to promote beneficial microbial colonization in HM. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Background: Human milk (HM) provides critical immunological support to neonates, serving as a key component of passive immunity during early life. Objectives: The main aim of this cohort study was to compare the concentrations of lactoferrin (Lf), secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), C-reactive protein (CRP), and their ratios to total protein levels in the colostrum of postpartum women infected with SARS-CoV-2 and healthy controls. Methods: Colostrum samples (3–5 mL) were collected from 40 mothers (20 infected, 20 healthy) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. Concentrations of Lf, SIgA, and CRP were analyzed using ELISA, and total protein content was measured using the bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA). Results: The presence of specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 SIgA antibodies was assessed via cassette serological lateral flow detection tests. Significant differences were observed in Lf (p = 0.04) and SIgA (p = 0.03) concentrations, both lower in the COVID-19 group. Lactoferrin medians were 12.30 g/L (infected) and 14.95 g/L (healthy), and for SIgA: 9.15 g/L vs. 15.01 g/L, respectively. No significant difference was found in CRP levels. Interestingly, the Lf/Protein ratio was significantly higher in the infected group (p = 0.03), whereas the SIgA/Protein ratio did not differ. Furthermore, 75% of infected mothers had positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 SIgA results. These mothers also showed a higher Lf/Protein ratio. Among healthy controls, 90% had negative test results. Conclusions: These findings suggest a potential compensatory role of lactoferrin in the nonspecific immune response to SARS-CoV-2, though stress-related reductions in SIgA levels cannot be excluded.