August 15, 2023
August is National Breastfeeding Month. Did you know that the USDA conducts research to define dietary requirements to ensure optimal maternal and child health? A researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is leading international studies to establish nutritional guidelines for vitamins and minerals found in breast milk.
“Breastfeeding is the best way to keep babies healthy and developing properly,” said Lindsay Allenresearcher at ARS Obesity and Metabolism Research Unit in Davis, California.
“If the mother eats a poor-quality diet, her milk will contain lower levels of most vitamins and many minerals. The question is how to define (those) values,” Allen said. “We determine this by measuring micronutrients present in milk and blood samples from 1,000 mother-infant pairs during the first 9 months of lactation in four countries.”
The study examines breast milk from groups of well-nourished women in Brazil, Bangladesh, Denmark and Gambia. Women in the United States were not included in the study because many take supplements during pregnancy and breastfeeding, which could increase nutrients in milk to higher than normal levels.
THE Mothers, infants and lactation quality (MILQ) also focused on the amount of iodine in breast milk. Iodine is a mineral that the body uses to make thyroid hormones. These hormones regulate metabolism and ensure proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and early childhood.
The second study (MILQ2) measures vitamins, minerals and milk volume several times from delivery until the first month postpartum. This is a critical period because the infant’s nutritional needs are high and many micronutrients found in milk are absorbed more quickly by the infant.
“The goal is to produce reference curves so we can judge whether nutrient levels in milk are average, or whether they are lower or higher,” Allen said. “(This) will help calculate the nutritional needs of infants and their mothers, and interpret the effectiveness of maternal supplements in improving the amount of nutrients in milk.”
These USDA studies are just two of many that focus on maternal and child health. The USDA ARS conducts this nutrition research and more through six human nutrition research centers and other laboratories located across the country.
