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Does exercise intensity or diet influence lactic acid accumulation in breast milk?
1Department of Kinesiology, University of New Hampshire, Durham 03824, USA. tjq@christa.unh.edu
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|February 2, 1999
Summary
Dietary carbohydrate intake does not affect breast milk lactate levels in lactating women. Exercise intensity, not diet, influences lactate in breast milk, with moderate exercise showing no increase.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Lactation Research
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing breast milk composition is crucial for infant nutrition.
- Diet and exercise are known modulators of maternal physiology and milk production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of varying carbohydrate (CHO) intake and exercise intensity on breast milk composition.
- Specifically, to determine the relationship between diet, exercise, and lactate (LA) levels in breast milk.
Main Methods:
- Twelve lactating women were assigned to high (5.03 g CHO/kg BM) or moderate (3.89 g CHO/kg BM) carbohydrate diets.
- Milk and blood samples were collected pre- and post-exercise at maximal, lactic acid-threshold (LAT), and LAT-20 intensities, alongside a control session.
Main Results:
- Exercise intensity significantly influenced milk lactate (LA) levels, with maximal and LAT exercise increasing LA compared to controls.
- Moderate intensity exercise (LAT-20, RPE=12) did not elevate milk LA.
- Dietary carbohydrate intake did not significantly affect milk or blood LA levels at any collection point.
Conclusions:
- Dietary carbohydrate intake within a practical range does not alter resting or post-exercise breast milk LA levels.
- Lactate appearance in breast milk is primarily dependent on exercise intensity.
- Moderate intensity exercise (RPE=12) is unlikely to increase breast milk lactate levels in lactating women meeting their caloric needs.