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Tandem Breastfeeding and Human Milk Macronutrients: A Prospective Observational Study
Gilad Rosenberg1, Laurence Mangel2, Dror Mandel2
126738 Department of Pediatrics, Dana Dwek Children's Hospital, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, affiliated to the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Tandem breastfeeding, or nursing multiple children simultaneously, alters human milk composition. While pregnancy milk differs from mature milk, tandem nursing primarily impacts carbohydrate levels in colostrum and mature milk.
Area of Science:
- Human lactation research
- Nutritional science
- Maternal-child health
Background:
- Tandem breastfeeding, defined as simultaneous nursing of multiple offspring of different ages, is not widely studied.
- Breastfeeding during pregnancy is also an under-researched area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of tandem breastfeeding on the macronutrient composition of human milk.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study comparing tandem-breastfeeding (n=18) and non-tandem-breastfeeding (n=31) participants.
- Human milk samples collected during late pregnancy, postpartum (colostrum), and mature milk stages.
- Macronutrient analysis using mid-infrared spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Pregnancy milk exhibited lower fat and higher protein and carbohydrate content compared to mature milk.
- Tandem breastfeeding was associated with lower fat and energy content in pregnancy milk compared to non-tandem mature milk.
- Tandem breastfeeding participants showed higher carbohydrate content in colostrum and mature milk.
Conclusions:
- Human milk composition varies significantly between pregnancy and postpartum stages.
- Tandem breastfeeding appears to influence carbohydrate levels in colostrum and mature milk, but other macronutrients are largely comparable to non-tandem milk.
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