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Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
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Sat, 1 Apr 2000 09:17:29 EST
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Now I have heard it all!!!!   Denise G Hewson RN IBCLC  Katy, Texas

Little pill sweetens mothers' milk
SCIENCE: Dietary experts identify compound which improves taste of breastmilk 
while retaining essential nutrients. 

4/1/2000

By JEFF DOBB
The Associated Press 

A controversial breakthrough in lactational dietetics has produced a pill 
which can add appetizing flavors to breastmilk. It is expected that infants 
who reject the breast will find the new flavors appealing.

The research adds to an expanding body of evidence that breastmilk is the 
preferred form of infant nutrition in the first six months— however many 
women resort to formula when their infant rejects the breast. 

It also provides evidence for the theory that exposure to greater varieties 
of flavoring agents in the breastmilk can reduce the chances of obesity in 
later life, the researchers say.

The researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, built their 
study on an already known quirk of human anatomy: Certain strongly flavored 
substances pass through the mother's milk and are ingested by her baby. 

Scientists believe that women's cyclic variation in progesterone levels; — 
and the female sex hormones such as testosterone that are found in both sexes 
— create an unpleasant taste in the breastmilk of premenstrual women which 
may account for infants rejecting the breast.

In the study published today in the journal Nature, the researchers 
interviewed 720 women at three major hospitals in Los Angeles, asked them 
their breastfeeding plans, and tested their milk before and after a course of 
the new pill.

The milk of mothers in the control study who ate a bland diet altered 
significantly at various times of their cycle — with the higher hormone 
levels creating a bitter taste in their milk. — The milk of the mothers who 
had taken the new pill was pleasantly vanilla flavored with no detectable 
variation throughout the woman's cycle. 

The pills which are subject to FDA approval will initally be available in 
three basic flavors, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry however researchers 
are also working on cinnamon and banana flavors and hope to branch into 
featured flavors such as egg nog for the festive season. 

The researchers then went a step further, enabling the mothers to benefit 
from their discovery. The pills are chewable, allowing the mother to 
experience the flavor before it passes through her milk to her baby. Most 
women reported the pills to be pleasant tasting and "not too sweet"

Paula Williamson, an adviser with the National Association of Pediatric 
Nutritionists, said some mothers would welcome such findings because "They 
know breast is best for their babies and they feel like they have failed when 
their baby rejects the breast due to the changes in the taste fo their milk." 
She said this would be particularly welcomed by mothers who wish to enjoy 
spicy foods and fear their babies will no longer want to nurse. "This pill 
will mask the taste of garlic and other flavors babies may find unpleasant" 

But she said ultimately the question of flavoring mother's milk cause should 
not bear on the debate over breast versus bottle. "This is simply another 
option" she said.

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