Article: Mom's milk richer in fat, energy after one year

[Guest guest]

From Reuters Health today.

Connie

------------------------------------------------

Mom's milk richer in fat, energy after one year

Last Updated: 2005-09-14 13:03:51 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study shows that milk from mothers

who have been breastfeeding their infants for more than a year is

richer in fat and energy than milk from moms who have been

breastfeeding for just a few months.

The study is the first to look at the nutritional value of breast

milk after prolonged breastfeeding, Dr. Dror Mandel of Tel Aviv

University in Israel told Reuters Health.

" It might be that because the infant is breastfed less times a day,

the milk is more concentrated, " he noted in an e-mail interview.

Mandel and colleagues compared milk from 27 women who had been

nursing for two to six months and 34 mothers who had been nursing for

12 to 39 months.

They report, in the journal Pediatrics, that the average fat content

of milk from the shorter-duration breastfeeding group was just over 7

percent, compared to about 11 percent from the longer-duration group.

A liter of milk from the women breastfeeding for a shorter period of

time contained about 740 calories, compared to 880 for the women who

had been breastfeeding for a year or longer.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers

exclusively breastfeed their infants up to six months of age, and

that nursing for a year or more will give a baby the " full benefits

of breastfeeding, " which include cutting rates of illnesses such as

ear infections and diarrhea and reducing the risk of childhood

obesity.

However, Mandel and his colleagues note in their report that " the

optimal duration of breastfeeding is unknown. "

While one study suggested a link between extended breastfeeding and

increased heart disease risk, " many objections have been raised

against this accusation, " the authors point out. It would be

necessary to evaluate the types of fats contained in breast milk

after a year of lactation before such a possibility can be raised,

they add.

They also point out that, " at the present time, the official policy

of the American Academy of Pediatrics is not to put any limit on the

duration of lactation. "

" The results showed that the caloric contribution of breast milk to

the infant diet is not negligible, " Mandel added in comments to

Reuters Health. " Hence, we can tell mothers that continue to

breastfeed their infants that, from a caloric standpoint, their milk

is of nutritional value. "

SOURCE: Pediatrics, September 2005.

Copyright © 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication

or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar

means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of

Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the

content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and

the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of

the Reuters group of companies around the world.