Dietary Intake of Breastfeeding Mothers in Developed Countries: A Systematic Review and Results of the MEDIDIET Study

Maso, Matteo Di; Eussen, Simone; Bravi, Francesca; Moro, Guido; Agostoni, Carlo; Tonetto, Paola; Quitadamo, Pasqua Anna; Salvatori, Guglielmo; Profeti, Claudio; Kazmierska, Iwona; Vacca, Elisabetta Blasi; Decarli, Adriano; Stahl, Bernd; Bertino, Enrico; Ferraroni, Monica

doi:10.1093/jn/nxab258

Cited by 5 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Nevertheless, we previously compared maternal nutrient intakes of mothers participating in the MEDIDIET study with those of mothers from other developed countries in a reviewing framework. The energy intake of mothers participating in the MEDIDIET study was lower than the average energy requirement (i.e., 2,300 kcal/day) recommended during the lactation period, but it was in agreement with those of the majority of studies included in the review ( 48 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet of Breastfeeding Mothers and Fatty Acids Composition of Their Human Milk: Results From the Italian MEDIDIET Study

et al. 2022

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Background and AimsThe content of fatty acids (FA) in human milk may be influenced by maternal nutrition. We evaluated the role of a Mediterranean diet in influencing the content of FA in human milk among 282 breastfeeding mothers participating in the MEDIDIET study.Materials and MethodsMediterranean Diet Score (MDS), a composite index, was used to evaluate adherence to the Mediterranean diet. It includes 9 components (i.e., vegetables, fruit, cereals, legumes, monounsaturated to saturated FA ratio – MUFA/SFA, fish, dairy products, meat, and alcohol) and therefore potentially ranges from 0 (no adherence) to 9 (complete adherence) points. None of the mothers obtained the highest score due to the low alcohol consumption in the study population. Mothers were categorized in approximate tertiles of adherence: 0–3 (34.4%), 4 (26.2%), and 5–8 points (39.4%). The mean content of FA across categories of MDS was compared using ANOVA and test for trend.ResultsA high adherence of breastfeeding mothers to the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower content of SFA in human milk (42.58 ± 4.36 for MDS = 0–3, 42.58 ± 4.89 for MDS = 4, and 40.92 ± 5.22% of fats for MDS = 5–8 points; p ANOVA and p for trend = 0.02). Conversely, a high adherence was associated with higher content of MUFA in human milk (43.27 ± 4.27 for MDS = 0–3, 43.27 ± 4.47 for MDS = 4, and 45.24 ± 5.22% of fats for MDS = 5–8 points; p ANOVA and p for trend < 0.01), ω-3 FA (1.07 ± 0.25 for MDS = 0–3, 1.22 ± 0.49 for MDS = 4, and 1.31 ± 0.51% of fats for MDS = 5–8 points; p ANOVA and p for trend < 0.01), and the major types of ω-3 FA (i.e., α-linolenic acid – ALA, eicosapentaenoic acid – EPA, docosahexaenoic acid – DHA, docosapentaenoic acid – DPA). These associations were mainly driven by the adherence to the vegetables, MUFA/SFA, fish, and dairy products components of the Mediterranean diet.ConclusionA high adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with human milk showing a lower content of SFA and higher content of MUFA and ω-3 FA, including DHA. The Mediterranean diet may contribute in human milk production with higher content of specific FA which is directly involved in infant’s neural and visual development, as reported by previous studies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet of Breastfeeding Mothers and Fatty Acids Composition of Their Human Milk: Results From the Italian MEDIDIET Study

et al. 2022

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“…Furthermore, the MEDIDIET study [ 1 ] also showed values of EPA and DHA—intakes of 0.13 g/day (EPA) and 0.17 g/day (DHA)—close to those recommended by the WHO (adequate intake of EPA + DHA = 0.3 g/day). The high concentrations of MUFA (in terms of total fat percentage) could be attributed to a high consumption of olive oil (typical of the Mediterranean diet).…”

Section: Nutritional Status Of the Breastfeeding Mothermentioning

confidence: 70%

“…However, lactating mothers in the already mentioned MEDIDIET study [ 1 ] generally had vitamin intakes that either met or came close to recommendations for this population group. In the case of vitamin D, though, their intakes were well below recommended levels (2.6 μg/day vs. the adequate intake (AI) of 15 μg/day).…”

Section: Nutritional Status Of the Breastfeeding Mothermentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Similar intakes were observed in other studies conducted on breastfeeding mothers in Spain (1102 mg/day) [ 81 ], Croatia [ 20 ] (994 mg/day), and México [ 80 ] (1636 mg/day), as well as in the ATLAS study conducted in several European countries (957 mg/day) [ 64 ]. However, calcium intake values below the EFSA’s reference recommendations were observed in the MEDIDIET study [ 1 ] (792 mg/día), a study by Bzikowska et al (2021) during the first month of lactation (746 mg/day) [ 79 ], and a study by the same authors in 2018 from the first to the sixth month of lactation (613 to 745 mg/day) [ 59 ]. Similar results were also observed by Daniels et al (2019) [ 61 ] in a study conducted on breastfeeding mothers in New Zealand (613 mg/day).…”

Section: Nutritional Status Of the Breastfeeding Mothermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adequate nutrition during breastfeeding is of vital importance in ensuring good health in both the mother and the baby [ 1 , 2 ]. Furthermore, breastfeeding provides personalized and unique nutrition and is associated with long-term benefits for both the child’s and the mother’s health [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutritional Status of Breastfeeding Mothers and Impact of Diet and Dietary Supplementation: A Narrative Review

Carretero-Krug,

Montero-Bravo,

Morais-Moreno

et al. 2024

Nutrients

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Adequate nutrition during breastfeeding is crucial for ensuring the good health of mothers and babies. Despite the high energy and nutrient demands of breastfeeding, lactating women are often vulnerable from a nutritional perspective. The nutritional focus during breastfeeding tends to be on the newborn, often neglecting the mother’s diet. Therefore, in the present narrative review, nutrient intakes were compared with the dietary reference values (DRVs) proposed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as well as by the World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization (WHO/FAO). In the diets of lactating mothers, dietary inadequacies were observed in the intake of some vitamins, such as folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and vitamin D, and in the intake of certain minerals like calcium, iron, and iodine; polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies, primarily in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, were also observed. On the other hand, the debate on the necessity of supplementation during lactation continues; the need for nutritional supplementation during lactation depends on many factors, such us mothers’ eating habits. There seems to be a positive association between nutritional supplementation of the lactating mother and the concentration of certain nutrients in human milk. The present narrative review provides an update on the nutritional status (fatty acids and micronutrients) of breastfeeding mothers and the impact of diet and dietary supplementation on human milk composition.

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Breast size in lactating women and the content of macronutrients in human milk

Babiszewska‐Aksamit,

Żelaźniewicz,

Apanasewicz

et al. 2024

American J Hum Biol

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IntroductionAlthough the primary function of a woman's breast is milk synthesis, only a few studies have evaluated the relationship between breast size and human milk composition, showing equivocal results. This study aims to test if breast size during fully established lactation is related to energy density and content of macronutrients in human milk.Materials and MethodsMothers of healthy, born‐on‐term infants at stage III of lactogenesis (N = 137) provided breast milk samples. Milk composition was analyzed using midinfrared transmission spectroscopy. The breast size index was calculated by dividing the breast by the circumference below the breast.ResultsStepwise forward linear regression showed a negative association between breast size index and lactose concentration in breast milk (β = −.242, p = .003). The final model, which includes breast size index, feeding frequency, and maternal energy intake together explained around 13% of the variance in breast milk lactose content (R2adj = .126, p < .001). No statistically significant relationship was found between breast size index and milk's energy density, protein, and fat content.ConclusionThis is the first study that shows a negative relationship between breast size during fully established lactation and lactose concentration in milk in a large sample size. No relationship between other macronutrients and breast size indicates that large breast size is not necessary for adequate milk production; however, it may contribute to an altered lactose concentration.

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Dietary Intake of Breastfeeding Mothers in Developed Countries: A Systematic Review and Results of the MEDIDIET Study

Cited by 5 publications

References 55 publications

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet of Breastfeeding Mothers and Fatty Acids Composition of Their Human Milk: Results From the Italian MEDIDIET Study

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet of Breastfeeding Mothers and Fatty Acids Composition of Their Human Milk: Results From the Italian MEDIDIET Study

Nutritional Status of Breastfeeding Mothers and Impact of Diet and Dietary Supplementation: A Narrative Review

Breast size in lactating women and the content of macronutrients in human milk

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