[Milk as a health vehicle in pregnancy and lactation]

The importance of a correct diet and nutrition before pregnancy to the end of lactation seems to be without doubt with the scientific information and evidence that we have today. Despite this, recent studies have shown that the mother´s diet is not as adequate as it should be and deficiencies of certain critical nutrients have been detected at this stage. The importance of a correct nutrition of the mother at this stage has already been recognized for decades and today we can affirm that it will affect not only the development of the fetus but also the genetic organization of the future metabolic response of the child and later of the adult. Several recent publications seem to have made clear that they seem to relate maternal nutrition with a possible programming effect related to the appearance of various metabolic alterations in adult life giving rise to the possible appearance of various chronic diseases. For this reason, gestation is going to be a challenge for the mother at the nutritional level due to increase energy and nutrient needs and their relationship to maternal and child health. In the daily diet, milk and milk products are critical sources of nutrients for the correct development of the fetus and the early development of the child. The purpose of this text is to highlight them, to review the effects of conventional dairy products and dairy products fortified with various nutrients on nutritional status during pregnancy and lactation.