Products claiming health benefits without scientific evidence to support them should be approached with caution, as per the findings of a randomized controlled trial.
Drugs in Pregnancy & Lactation - What is Safe and What is Harmful
During pregnancy & lactation a nutritious diet, suitable exercise, adequate rest and a tranquil mind help both the mother and fetus and drugs hould be avoided.
During pregnancy & lactation a nutritious diet, suitable exercise, adequate rest and a tranquil mind help both the mother and fetus and drugs hould be avoided.
‘Researchers investigate if lactation cookies boost human milk production, thereby testing their effectiveness.’
Milk it: Investigating the Benefits of Lactation Cookies
David B. Allison, Ph.D., dean of the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington (SPH-B), is among the researchers who conducted a one-month, randomized controlled trial of lactating parents of healthy babies in the same age range.Their findings revealed no evidence for an effect of consuming lactation cookies on human milk production.
"Too often in the field of nutrition and food, strong beliefs—sometimes even well-reasoned conjectures based upon some scientific knowledge—are mistaken for demonstrated facts," Allison said. "Conjecture is good, but knowing is better. We come to know about the effects of nutrition and dietary supplements through rigorous, randomized, controlled trials. Having conducted such a study on lactation cookies, we found no evidence for their effectiveness.
Galactorrhea - Milky Nipple Discharge (or) Lactation In The Absence of Pregnancy
Galactorrhea is the spontaneous breast milk production in a woman who is not pregnant or nursing a child. Around ninety percent of women with high levels of the hormone prolactin suffer from galactorrhea.
Galactorrhea is the spontaneous breast milk production in a woman who is not pregnant or nursing a child. Around ninety percent of women with high levels of the hormone prolactin suffer from galactorrhea.
The study followed 176 U.S. parents who were exclusively breastfeeding healthy two-month-old babies.
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Nutrient Needs in Lactation
Inadequacies in a lactating mother’s diet influences both the quantity and quality of milk secreted, although the effect in quantity is more profound.
Inadequacies in a lactating mother’s diet influences both the quantity and quality of milk secreted, although the effect in quantity is more profound.
Through a weekly survey, parents reported the quantity of milk they produced after following a validated milk expression protocol using a hospital-grade breast pump, providing data that were analyzed by both the study authors and an independent statistician.
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Crunching the Numbers
These data demonstrated that the impact of consuming lactation cookies did not have a significant effect on how much milk was actually produced or perceived to be produced by the lactating parents.The authors assert that consumers should be cautious when considering the potential effect of this product, or any food and/or supplement that promotes health-promoting benefits without published, peer-reviewed scientific evidence to support its claims.
As the researchers noted, these lactation cookies can contain substantial calories and sugars, which could affect postpartum weight loss efforts and related health issues.
“Despite being a physician and nutrition scientist focused on early-life nutrition, I still remember how difficult breastfeeding was for me with both of my children,” said study lead author Ana M. Palacios, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Health Policy and Community Health, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University.
“Our research highlights that lactation cookies, which include added sugars and saturated fat, may not have the said purported benefits of increasing milk production. Purchasing lactation cookies to increase milk production may pose an unnecessary cost and may have additional implications for parents, such as limiting post-pregnancy weight loss and reducing the consumption of healthier foods. More research is needed to better understand what foods and nutrients can best help increase milk supply in diverse populations.”
Source-Eurekalert
