I looked at the article at Health-e-learning and checked which references seemed to underlie the statement that a maternal diet high in refined sugars could lead to lactose overload and lack of fat in the breastmilk. The only one I had at hand was Riordan and Auerbach, and what R and A say is that the proportion of fat in breastmilk is unaffected by maternal diet, though the composition of the fat component will reflect the composition of the fat in her diet. To sum up: this reference does not support the claim that high carbohydrate and low fat intake by the mother leads to high carb, low fat breastmilk. I'm sceptical to such a claim at the outset; babies need milk of a certain nutritional composition. We can give mothers vitamin D supplements to the point of toxicity without increasing the amount in their milk, likewise for iron. Women in areas of famine continue to provide perfect milk for their babies, until they are in very advanced stages of starvation. Most people in the western world following a special diet are doing so because they are carrying around their very own depots of fat. I think the relative lactose overload sometimes seen as problematic in breastfed babies is from how the baby is feeding, not from some flaw in the milk synthesis. Just my NSHO. Rachel Myr Kristiansand, Norway *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET email list is powered by LISTSERV (R). There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html