Gangliosides, found in blood, tissues and in human breast milk, are sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids with implicated bioactivities in neural and brain development, maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, and the immune system. In a cross-sectional study, high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to measure the average total ganglioside concentrations in Malaysian mothers' colostrum and transitional milk; results were 26.8 and 18.9 mg L−1, respectively. In mature milk, the average ganglioside concentrations at 2, 6, and 12 months lactation were 14.8, 25.3, and 16.6 mg L−1, respectively. Considering the data from the typical exclusive breast feeding period (2 and 6 months) and adjusting for outliers, the trimmed mean was 18.5 mg L−1. The average total ganglioside concentrations in maternal serum increased from 14.7 mg L−1 during the second trimester to 19.6 mg L−1 during the third trimester. However, in 45% of the mothers total serum ganglioside decreased in the third trimester

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), phospholipids (PLs), and gangliosides (GAs) are components of human breast milk that play important roles in the development of the rapidly growing infant. The differences in these components in human milk from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were studied in a cross-sectional trial. High-performance liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry was used to determine HMO, PL, and GA concentrations in transitional (5–15 days) and mature (at 6 months post-partum) breast milk of mothers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results showed that the average HMO (12 species), PL (7 species), and GA (2 species) concentrations quantified in the UAE mothers’ transitional milk samples were (in mg/L) 8204 ± 2389, 269 ± 89, and 21.18 ± 11.46, respectively, while in mature milk, the respective concentrations were (in mg/L) 3905 ± 1466, 220 ± 85, and 20.18 ± 9.75. The individual HMO concentrations measured in this study were all significantly higher in transitional milk than in mature milk, except for 3 fucosyllactose, which was higher in mature milk. In this study, secretor and non-secretor phenotype mothers showed no significant difference in the total HMO concentration. For the PL and GA components, changes in the individual PL and GA species distribution was observed between transitional milk and mature milk. However, the changes were within the ranges found in human milk from other regions.