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Child health

Missing Nutrient in Breast Milk May Explain Health Challenges in Children of Women with HIV

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A recent UCLA study has uncovered a crucial link between breast milk and the health challenges faced by children born to women living with HIV. Researchers discovered that breast milk from women with HIV contains significantly lower levels of the essential amino acid tryptophan, which is vital for infant immune function, growth, and brain development. This finding may help explain why children born to women with HIV experience higher rates of illness and developmental challenges, even when they are not infected with the virus.

Key Takeaways:

  • A new UCLA study found that breast milk from women living with HIV contains significantly lower levels of tryptophan, an essential amino acid.
  • The study analyzed 1,426 breast milk samples collected over 18 months from 326 women in Zambia and Haiti.
  • The research team discovered that breast milk from women living with HIV contained approximately 50% lower tryptophan levels than milk from women without HIV.
  • The kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio, a marker of immune activation, was significantly elevated in breast milk from women living with HIV.
  • Plasma measurements found lower tryptophan levels in women living with HIV, suggesting that the decreased level of tryptophan in milk stems from systemic depletion.
  • The study also identified elevated levels of a newly discovered antiviral compound called ddhC in the milk of women living with HIV.
  • Researchers plan to investigate whether tryptophan supplementation in animal models of chronic viral inflammation can safely improve immune function, growth, and cognitive development.

Statistics:

  • 1.3 million children are born to women living with HIV annually worldwide.
  • Children born to women living with HIV experience a 50% increase in mortality in low-income settings.
  • Prior to antiretroviral therapy, children born to women with HIV had mortality rates that were two to three times higher than infants not exposed to HIV.
  • 326 women in Zambia and 47 women in Haiti participated in the study.
  • Researchers analyzed over 800 different metabolites in the milk samples collected.
  • The study found that breast milk from women living with HIV contained significantly lower tryptophan levels throughout the entire 18-month study period.

Sources:

  • "Altered milk tryptophan and tryptophan metabolites in women living with HIV" (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64566-w), Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64566-w
  • National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD R01 HD 39611, NICHD R01 HD 40777, NICHD 1-R01 HD 057617, NIH R21 HD 49287, NIH P30DK035816)
  • Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (CU52209601)
  • PEPFAR (GHS-A-00-00020-00)
  • NIH P30DK035816
  • The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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