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Higher Fat Content in Breastmilk Expressed Manually: A Randomized Trial
Laurence Mangel1, Amit Ovental1, Neta Batscha1
1Department of Neonatology, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center , Tel Aviv, Israel; Affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel .
Summary
Manual breast milk expression yields higher fat content compared to electric pumps. This finding suggests manual expression may capture nutrient-rich hindmilk more effectively, benefiting infant nutrition.
Area of Science:
- Human lactation research
- Infant nutrition science
Background:
- Breast milk composition is crucial for infant development.
- Different milk expression methods may influence nutrient yield.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effects of manual expression versus electric pump on breast milk composition.
- To determine if expression method impacts fat, carbohydrate, and protein content.
Main Methods:
- 21 mothers and their newborns participated in a randomized crossover study.
- Breast milk was collected via manual expression and electric pump.
- Human milk analyzer used to quantify macronutrients.
Main Results:
- Manually expressed milk showed significantly higher fat and energy content (p=0.024, p=0.04).
- No significant differences observed in protein or carbohydrate content.
- Fat content differences were not correlated with maternal or delivery factors.
Conclusions:
- Manual breast milk expression results in higher fat content than electric pump expression.
- This difference may be attributed to enhanced hindmilk retrieval during manual expression.
- Manual expression may be a preferred method for maximizing fat content in expressed breast milk.
