Fermented milk intervention enhances breast milk lipid composition and content in pregnant women

Longlong Jia1, Junying Zhao2, Yanpin Liu2

  • 1College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin 130118, China; National Engineering Research Center of Dairy Health for Maternal and Child, Beijing Sanyuan Foods Co. Ltd., Beijing 100163, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Dairy, Beijing Technical Innovation Center of Human Milk Research, Beijing Sanyuan Foods Co. Ltd., Beijing 100163, China.

Food Chemistry
|August 27, 2026
PubMed

The lipid composition and content of breast milk are influenced by the lactation stage and maternal diet. While dairy products are recommended during pregnancy, the effects of fermented milk on breast milk lipids remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of fermented milk intake on the glyceride and phospholipid composition of breast milk. Pregnant women consumed fermented milk containing glycerides and phospholipids from early pregnancy until the end of lactation. Fermented milk intake significantly increased the number and content of triacylglycerols, including glycerides with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, palmitic, oleic, linoleic acids, and docosahexaenoic acid. It also enhanced the number and content of phospholipids in colostrum and transitional milk. These findings indicate that maternal fermented milk consumption enriches breast milk with glycerides and phospholipids, particularly unsaturated fatty acylglycerol, potentially supporting the early growth and development of infants.

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