Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Of the participating fifty breast feeding mothers, those who supplemented with a combination of probiotics had a significant increase in total antioxidant capacity of breast milk compared to the control group.
Human breast milk is known to contain the best food for neonates and infants, due to the essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids for the child 1,2. The antioxidants in breast milk are altered by the mother’s dietary patterns 1,3. Recent research has found that supplementing probiotics while nursing can improve the antioxidant status of breast milk1.
The research 1 included 50 lactating women, who had full-term children and had exclusively breastfed for the first 90 days after birth1. The mothers were randomly divided to receive either two lactobacillus probiotics (1 X 10^8 CFU/pill; L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. bulgaricus, L. rhamnosus) or two placebo pills after dinner each day.
Breast milk samples were collected at onset, 30 and 60-days by self-expression before the baby was nursed in the morning.
The total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde levels (an indicator of oxidative stress & cell injury) in the breast milk showed no significant difference between the groups at baseline1.
There was a significant increase in total antioxidant capacity in the breast milk in the women that took the probiotics at both 30 and 60-days compared to the onset of the study (p=0.01 and p=0.001, respectively)1, while total antioxidant capacity in the placebo group decreased significantly between onset and 60-days (p=0.001). Researchers stated that a decrease in total antioxidant capacity occurs overtime as the storage of antioxidants in the mothers becomes depleted.
The breast milk malondialdehyde levels decreased progressively from baseline to day 60 in the probiotic group (p=0.001) while malaondialdehyde levels in the placebo group increased significantly between onset and day 60 (p=0.03).
These results indicate human milk responds significantly to oxidative stress in the mother and supplementation of probiotics may be able to support the mother and child.
In conclusion, supplementing probiotics during nursing can increase total antioxidant capacity in the breast milk and can decrease the malondialdehyde, an indicator of oxidative stress & cell injury. This is the first study to report the duration of lactobacillus supplementation on antioxidant status in breast milk. Future research is needed to understand optimal dosing of probiotics for nursing women.1
Source: Mahdavi, Reza, Leila Nikniaz, Alireza Ostadrahimi, Zeinab Nikniaz, and Zhila Khamnian. “Lactobacillus intake for 60 days favors antioxidant status of human breast milk: an RCT.” Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 26, no. 4 (2017): 619.
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Posted December 10, 2018.
References:
- Mahdavi R, Nikniaz L, Ostadrahimi A, Nikniaz Z, Khamnian Z. Lactobacillus intake for 60 days favors antioxidant status of human breast milk: an RCT. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2017;26(4):619.
- Zarban A, Taheri F, Chahkandi T, Sharifzadeh G, Khorashadizadeh M. Antioxidant and radical scavenging activity of human colostrum, transitional and mature milk. Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition. 2009;45(2):150-154.
- Nikniaz L, Mahdavi R, Arefhoesseini S, Khiabani MS. Association between fat content of breast milk and maternal nutritional status and infants’ weight in tabriz, iran. Malaysian journal of nutrition. 2009;15(1).
