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The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates for breastfeeding for at least the first six months of a child’s life. One reason being that breastfed infants are less prone to excessive weight gain and obesity compared to formula-fed infants. However, there’s been a scarcity of scientific inquiry into how physical exercises affect breast milk composition.
Scientists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) scrutinized the mechanisms underlying this influence.
Childhood Obesity on the Rise
According to WHO data from 2022, 39 million children under the age of five were affected by overweight or obesity, with over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 categorized as overweight. The prevalence of excess weight (including obesity) in this age group has sharply risen from just 8% in 1990 to 20% in 2022.
In fact, the period from conception to two years of age is considered the most critical period for possible development of obesity later in life.
Trine Moholdt, Researcher, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Previous research has indicated that endurance exercises elevate the level of adiponectin hormone. This hormone, synthesized by white adipose tissue (as well as the placenta during pregnancy), plays a role in metabolism and anti-inflammatory processes. Simply put, it’s one of the substances signaling the body to burn fat. Low adiponectin levels pose a risk for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Therefore, scientists investigated the impact of exercise on the concentration of adiponectin in breast milk.
How Breast Milk was Examined
Twenty participants, exclusively breastfeeding full-term infants aged 6–12 weeks, provided milk samples four times a day. Three types of activities were studied: moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and no activity (REST). Under each condition, breast milk was collected at 07:00 (before exercise/rest), 11:00 (immediately post-exercise/rest), 12:00 (1 hour post-exercise/rest), and 15:00 (4 hours post-physical activity/rest), and adiponectin concentration was determined.
High-Intensity Exercises Yield Optimal Effects
Adiponectin levels peaked one hour after HIIT. Moderate-intensity exercises had less impact, and hormone concentration post-rest was halved. According to the authors, this suggests that the best time for workouts during breastfeeding is one hour before feeding.
Researchers emphasized the necessity for further investigations into the impact of maternal physical exercises on breast milk composition. This is essential to provide an evidence base for more detailed recommendations from professional associations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other relevant organizations.
