Eating Organic Dairy and Meat Boosts Beneficial Fatty Acids in Breast Milk

New scientific research reveals that choosing organic dairy and meat products over conventional products improves the fatty acid content in breast milk. A recent study (PDF) published in the British Journal of Nutrition examined the diets of 312 breastfeeding women from the Netherlands and collected breast milk samples at one month postpartum. Women who reported that they chose organic dairy and meat products over conventional products at least 90% of the time showed a measurable increase in beneficial fatty acids in their breast milk. The study specifically examined the conjugated linoleic acid isomers (CLA) and trans-vaccenic acid (TVA). The Free Press explains:

CLA is a type of fat that is believed to have anti-carcinogenic, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-diabetic and immune-enhancing effects, as well as a favorable influence on body fat composition. For newborns specifically, CLA is believed to especially aid immune system development.

“These findings provide scientific support for common sense, by showing that organic foods are healthier,” says Dr. Lukas Rist, who is the lead author of the study….

What does this mean for the average breastfeeding mother–is this good news or bad news? What I don’t want to happen is for women who have poor nutrition and/or cannot afford organic foods to think that their breast milk is somehow inferior or inadequate. Breast milk is always superior to f*rmula; it is always better for a mother to breastfeed her baby rather than switch to f*rmula. The Breastfeeding Answer Book notes:

Research from developing countries and other parts of the world indicates that even mothers who are mildly malnourished produce an adequate supply of good quality milk for their babies and that only under famine or near famine conditions will a mother’s nutrition affect her milk supply or the composition of her milk.

So, the good news from this research is that mothers can enhance the already superior nutritional value of their breast milk by choosing organic dairy and meat products over conventional. Lucky for us that Carrie at Natural Moms Talk Radio just wrote a helpful article with money saving tips for eating more organic foods without busting the budget!