Kate Cropp posted this info from a lecture by Dr. Leon Mitoulas:
"1. Medium chain fatty acids are made by the breast.
2. Long chain fatty acids are dervied from the diet.
3. There are many (>40) fatty acids. They produce aid in the deveopment
a=
nd maintenance of=20
many different processes in the body- not only in breain and eye
develop=
ment.
4. When supplements are taken (usually containing very large
concentratio=
ns of long chain fatty=20
acids), it offsets the production of the naturally-produced medium
chain =
fatty acids, thus=20
disrupting the natural concentration of all fatty acids in the breast
mil=
k.
5. Therefore, there might be unaturally high levels of long chain fatty
a=
cids, and unaturally low=20
levels of medium chain fatty acids in the breast milk.=20
6. Also, supplementation of fatty acids during pregnancy has a
long-term =
effect due to fatty acids=20
being stored in maternal fat and released later (postpartum) into the
bea=
st milk.
7. The recommendation he gave: eat a well-rounded diet; forget the
fatty-=
acid supplements."
What concerns me about the last point is that American women have no
idea on Earth how to eat a healthy diet. What exactly is
"well-rounded"? It sure isn't the food pyramid!! When we consume
sugars, artificial ingredients and trans fats, receptor sites designed
for efas are taken up with toxic sustances. Those receptor sites will
eventually adapt in an effort to use the toxic fats, so every cellular
function is going to be impacted. The human body is an
eco-system--every functin depends on every other funtion. This is not
just a question of adding a substance to the body, but of how the body
can utilze that substance. I agree that we are potentially creating an
imbalance in the fats both in the mother's body and in what the baby is
receiving. I think the risk is especailly high in additives to AIM, but
could likely occur through the breast as well. It makes sense to me
that the components in human milk not only provide EFAs, but assist the
body in learning to utlilize LAs to metabolize DHA and EPA. Zinc is an
essential co-factor in the metabolism of efas--is there a proper ratio
of zinc in AIM? In other words, I think breastfeeding teaches the
infant's body how to function.
I have much less concern in supplementing mothers than in supplementing
babies, b/c the breast is a living interface between the mother and
baby. OTOH, I think supplementation is best done in the form of food. I
tell all of my moms to add efa-rich foods to their diets or to
supplement with oils that the body can use, rather than with a
derivatve substance. Even this, however, is not as effective as it
could be when taken out of the context of a healthy diet. While adding
krill oil, for example to the diet can have a profound positive impact
on the body, it cannot compensate for the high toxic burden the
standard American diet (SAD) places on cellular function. I talk to
most of my clients about diet in a more general way--the need for
nutrient-dense foods and phyto-nutrients, for example (not so that
their breastmilk is "good enough", but so that they themselves are
strong and healthy). The bottom line--supplementation is not a
cure-all, but ignoring the stress that the SAD places on the mother and
infant is like burying our heads in the sand.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
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