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Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
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Sun, 27 May 2007 22:30:30 EDT
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Hi everyone,
 
Does anyone have any knowledge of the use among Hispanic mother's of the 
drink called Atole to increase mother's milk? I thought you all might finding it 
interesting to know that here in Phoenix, Arizona I am seeing antidotal 
evidence of this and another Mexican drink called Champurrado, to be seemingly 
related to an increased milk supply. Both of these drinks contain a corn starch base 
or masa harina which is cooked with milk and thickened on the stove, and 
flavored with a dark bitter sweet chocolate or cinnamon stick. My understanding is 
that these drinks are both traditional for the postpartum mother, dating back 
to pre-Columbus among indigenous peoples in Mexico and South America. 
 
Ingredients:
 
Atole de Leche:
7 oz masa harina 
1 1/2 quart water 
3 cup milk 
8 oz piloncillo / brown sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 4 canela / cinnamon stick 
 
Champurrado
1/2 cup fresh _masa_ (http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/masa.htm)  (corn dough) or 
1/2 cup masa flour (masa harina) mixed with a 1/4 cup hot water to blend
2 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 disk _Mexican chocolate_ 
(http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/mexicanchocolate.htm)  
3 tablespoons piloncillo, chopped or 1/3 cup brown sugar plus 2 teaspoons 
molasses
1/4 teaspoon crushed aniseeds (optional)
 
Below is the only related research I have been able to locate so far. One 
hypothesis is that it is the increased protein and/or caloric intake, that is 
supporting the mother's milk supply.
 
I am interested in what anyone else may be seeing with these drinks?
 
Norma Escobar, are you out there? I saw your post in the archives from 1997. 
What are you finding in your work with Mexican mother's and this traditional 
postpartum drink? 
 
I think this is fascinating. Anyone want to so a study?  : )
 
 
Tina Williams-Wolf, IBCLC, RLC, HMA
Classic Homeopath
American Medical College of Homeopathy
2001 W. Camelback Rd. #150
Phoenix, AZ 85015
602.348.6014
_http://www.classichomeopath.com/_ (http://www.classichomeopath.com/) 

 
research-article
Influence of Food Supplementation on the Urinary Urea/Creatinine (U/C) Ratio 
of the Child 
AARON LECHTIG, REYNALDO MARTORELL, CHARLES YARBROUGH, HERNAN DELGADO and 
ROBERT E. KLEIN  
Division of Human Development, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and 
Panama (INCAP) Calzada Roosevelt, Zone 11, Guatemala City, Guatemala, C.A.  
This paper investigates the relationship between intake of two types of 
supplements, caloric (fresco) and protein-caloric (atole ), on the urinary U/C 
ratio in children from four rural Guatemalan villages. Atole was distributed in 
two of the villages while in the other two fresco was provided. Daily amounts of 
individual ingestion of supplement were recorded for lactating mothers as 
well as for breast-fed and weaned children up to 84 months of age. The urinary 
U/C ratio of the children was determined in a casual morning urine sample.  
Positive associations were observed between supplement ingestion in lactating 
mothers and the U/C ratio of breast-fed children in atole (r = 0.288, n = 77, 
p < 0.01) as well as in fresco (r = 0.148, n = 103, p < 0.10) villages. In 
contrast, the relationship between ingestion of the supplements in breastfed and 
weaned children and the U/C ratio differed depending upon the type of 
supplement given. Thus, for the caloric supplement, fresco, the relationship was 
negative (breast-fed children: r = 0.150, n = 103, p < 0.10; weaned children: r 
=0.145, n = 834, p < 0.001) while for the protein-calorie supplement, atole, the 
relationship was positive (breast-fed children: r = 0.645, n = 77, p < 0.001; 
weaned children: r = 0.261, n = 724, p < 0.001).  
The positive relationship observed between protein-calorie supplementation in 
lactating mothers and the U/C ratio in their children suggest that protein 
ingestion of the lactating women increases protein output in breast milk. The 
findings with respect to caloric intake, deserve more extensive comment. It was 
concluded that these findings bring support to the hypothesis that calories 
are the main limiting factor in the diet of this population. Thus, giving 
calories to the lactating mother may have resulted in enough protein spared to 
increase the breast milk protein supplied to the suckling child and consequently to 
increase his U/C ratio. Similarly, the reduction observed in the U/C ratio of 
the child upon supplementing him with calories may indicate that the calories 
given spared protein ingested at the home from being used to provide energy.  
In spite of the fact that the results, the first from free-living communities 
reported in the literature, suggest that caloric supplementation to lactating 
mothers and children led to a betterment of their nutritional status, it 
should be stressed that decision to implement calorie supplementation alone in 
other populations should deserve careful consideration of the main limiting 
dietary factors to avoid the possibility of increasing the risk of protein 
malnutrition
 



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