Immediate effect of food intake by the nursing mother on the macronutrient content of colostrum

TL;DR

This study found that a mother's meal increases the fat content of her colostrum within two hours, but has no effect on protein or carbohydrates.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a direct and immediate impact of maternal food intake on colostrum fat content.

Findings

Colostrum fat content increased by 20% two hours after maternal lunch.

No significant changes were observed in protein or carbohydrate levels.

The meal's nutritional content was standardized across participants.

Abstract

Human milk has a dynamic composition that is ideal for the needs of infants. However, the factors that affect the nutritional content of human milk are still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the immediate effect of maternal food intake (lunch) on the macronutrient composition of colostrum.

This prospective study performed a paired analysis of macronutrient concentrations in the colostrum of healthy postpartum women. Three milliliters of colostrum were collected from 65 participants 30 min before and 2 h after a meal (lunch) by manual expression. The nutritional content of the meal was similar for all mothers. Colostrum analysis was performed using a Human Milk Analyzer (Miris®).

The fat content was significantly higher in colostrum samples collected 2 h after lunch than in those collected 30 mins before lunch (2.3 ± 1.1 vs. 2.8 ± 1.4 g %, p = 0.002). No significant differences were observed in the protein (1.9 ± 0.7 vs. 1.9 ± 1.0) and carbohydrate (6.4 ± 0.8 vs. 6.4 ± 0.8) content.

Two hours after the mother had lunch, the colostrum fat concentration increased by 20 %.