World Breastfeeding Week, 1st-7th August

Breast milk is often described as the perfect food for infants. The composition of breast milk not only changes according to the developmental stage of the infant, but even adjusts to the immature gut during a single feed. The extensive benefits of breastfeeding are well-known, ranging from improved immunity and higher IQ, to securing the mother-infant bond. There is also evidence suggesting that babies who are breastfed benefit from a ‘programming’ effect that leads to better health later in life, such as the reduced risk of obesity, type II diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease [1, 2].

There is a long history of lactation research in Cambridge. It is a topic that was close to the heart of Dr Elsie Widdowson, after whom the building that houses MRC Human Nutrition Research (HNR), is named. HNR continues with studies on lactating women and their infants in the UK and elsewhere in the world. Current research topics include developing new techniques to measure concentrations of micronutrients in breast-milk, such as vitamin D and its metabolites, and total fat content and the different fatty acids. We aim to relate these measurements to diet and lifestyle.

Work currently being undertaken at HNR includes the Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children (DNSIYC). Women who are breastfeeding an infant enrolled in DNSIYC are having the milk intake of their babies measured by the “dose-to-the-mother” method [3, 4]. This method requires the mother to drink harmless tracer water, which then mixes with her natural body water, including her breast milk. The tracer water then moves to her baby during normal breastfeeding routine. By measuring the dilution of the tracer water over a two-week period in the mother’s and infant’s saliva or urine, we are able to determine the total volume of breast milk that the baby consumes over that period, whether they are exclusively breastfed or not.

We have a good working relationship with the Donor Milk Bank at The Rosie Maternity Hospital in Cambridge. If any donated breast milk expires and the donor then consents, we are able to use this surplus to develop and improve our laboratory research methods related to breast milk and lactation.

We welcome any interest from lactating women who wish to donate a small breast milk sample for mother-infant nutritional research. If you would like to know more about our current breastfeeding studies and future plans in this area, please contact Miss Georgia Billing (Tel: 01223 426356 or Email: georgia.billing@mrc-hnr.cam.ac.uk)

1. Petherick, A., Mother’s milk: a rich opportunity. Nature, 2010. 468(23 (?)): p. S5-S7.

2. Goldberg, G.R., Prentice, A.M., Prentice, A., Filteau, S., and Simondon, K., Breast Feeding: Early Influences on Later Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine & Biology. Vol. vol 639. 2008: Springer.

3. da Costa, T.H., Haisma, H., Wells, J.C., Mander, A.P., Whitehead, R.G., and Bluck, L.J., How much human milk do infants consume? Data from 12 countries using a standardized stable isotope methodology. J Nutr, 2010. 140(12): p. 2227-32.

4. IAEA, Stable Isotope Technique to Assess Intake of Human Milk in Breastfed Infants. Human Health Series No.7. 2010, Vienna, Austria: International Atomic Energy Agency.