A study of the effect of hypothyroidism during pregnancy on human milk quality based on rheological properties

ABSTRACT Hypothyroidism has been found to have an impact on the nutritional composition of human milk during pregnancy. This study aims to explore the combined influence of rheological properties, macronutrient content, particle size, and the zeta-potential of milk fat globules as well as the composition of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) proteins on the quality of human milk in gestational hypothyroidism. The study revealed that human milk from hypothyroidism during pregnancy (AHM) was less viscoelastic and stable when compared with normal pregnancy group human milk (NHM). Furthermore, the particle size and macronutrient content of NHM were found to be larger than that of AHM. On the other hand, the zeta-potential of AHM was greater than that of NHM. The SDS-PAGE results disclosed that the composition of MFGM proteins in these 2 groups were generally the same, but the content of AHM was lower than that of NHM. In conclusion, this study confirms that hypothyroidism during pregnancy can have a significant impact on the quality of human milk.