play videoplay video

Video duration 03 minutes 29 seconds 03:29

A recent study found that breastfeeding mothers who exercise transmit a beneficial hormone called adiponectin to their children, which may help protect them from obesity.

The study was conducted by researchers led by Trine Möholdt at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, and written about by the Eurek Alert website.

Although there are many studies that focused on breast milk and its effect on the infant; The effect of exercise on breast milk has not received the attention of many scientists and researchers.

Many questions arise in the minds of pregnant women and new mothers about breastfeeding and its impact on the child’s health, and about the methods that enhance the quality of breast milk. Many mothers, especially those who are accustomed to exercising before and during pregnancy, wonder about the effect of exercise on the taste and quality of breast milk.

"There are a lot of rumors about exercise and breast milk, and we need to know more," said researcher Trine Moholdt.

The researcher explained that the aim of this study is to try to control excess obesity in children. In 2020, the World Health Organization estimated that 93 million children under the age of five were diagnosed as overweight or obese. They also found that the rate of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 5-19 years has increased from 4% in 1975 to 18% in 2018.

Nature of nutrition

It is believed that this rapid increase in obesity in children may be due to the nature of nutrition during the first period of the child’s life, as this age stage plays an important role in determining the health of children in the future.

Researcher Moholdt emphasized that the period from the beginning of pregnancy to the age of two years is the most critical period that leads to the possibility of the child developing obesity in his later life.

The research team collected 240 milk samples from 20 mothers who had recently given birth to children. These samples were taken from the mothers participating in the study before and after specific times of two exercise sessions, and then they were compared with milk samples from the same mothers after they had taken more rest.

The study showed that exercise stimulates the production of the hormone adiponectin. This hormone is responsible for the body's metabolism to ensure that the body is supplied with the energy and materials it needs to perform its functions.

It is possible that this hormone is absorbed through the intestines of children who depend on breastfeeding as a food source, which leads to a change in how their metabolism works. It was found that there is a close relationship linking low levels of this hormone to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

The study added that women who exercise intensely over a period of time have a higher percentage of this hormone in their milk after training.

This study is the first of its kind to examine the effect of exercise on this hormone in breast milk. Moholdt confirmed that this hormone is secreted from the mother's fatty tissue, enters the bloodstream, and then most of it passes into the mother's milk.

Breastfeeding

The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend that a child begin breastfeeding within the first hour of life and that he be limited to breast milk during the first six months of life, which means that he should refrain from giving him any other foods or liquids, including water.

The child should be breastfed on demand and the child should be breastfed as often as he wishes, day and night. Baby bottles, nipples or soothers should not be used.

Starting from the sixth month, the child should be given safe and adequate complementary foods and continue breastfeeding until he reaches the age of two years and above.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies + World Health Organization + Eurek Alert