What Beer Is Good For Breastfeeding?

Foods to Help Increase Your Milk Supply By: Morgan Annandale Today marks the official start of the month of December, and we all know what that means more food than we know what to do with! In my home when family is visiting for the holidays, it always means endless Christmas cookies, casseroles, and comfort food. This time last year when I was breastfeeding my son, Luke, I started to notice a decrease in my milk supply. I believe the stress of the holidays was starting to get to me, and took a physical effect on my body, causing a low milk supply. I didn’t know at the time that stress can negatively affect your milk supply, and what more of a stressful time of the year than the holidays with a new baby.

I did some research and quickly realized that with some additions and adjustments to my diet I could increase my milk supply.
So, for all you breastfeeding moms out there, listen up and get ready to be greatly pleased with some of the foods and drinks you can indulge in a little more this holiday feasting season.

Dark Beer Yup, you read that right! Darker beer filled with extra barley and hops (both a galactagogues, which stimulates the hormone prolactin to increase milk supply) is one beverage that is known to increase your milk supply. Specifically, a milk stout is one of the best beers to indulge in while breastfeeding.

The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout Left Hand Milk Stout Belching Beaver Brewery: Peanut Butter Milk Stout

Though these dark beers and milk stouts are great to enjoy on occasion while breastfeeding, it is also important to be aware that drinking too much alcohol can start to inhibit your milk supply. It is advised to plan accordingly and wait to breastfeed 2-3 hours after you consume any alcohol.

If you are worried about drinking any alcohol while breastfeeding there is always the option of finding a non-alcoholic beer rich in barley that will also help increase your milk supply. Oatmeal Not only is oatmeal filled with fiber and energy, which helps your digestion and gets you through the day, according to folk wisdom, oats can help mother’s increase their milk supply.

Though very little scientific evidence links this food to increased milk supply, it has occurred with so many mothers consistently it has become a common suggestion for moms. Oats are rich in fiber and iron, which makes lactation pros believe it can have beneficial results for breastfeeding mamas.

Regardless, having a healthy breakfast in your daily routine can’t hurt and maybe it will be the perfect solution for you and your baby; I know it helped me! If you are not a fan of oatmeal in the morning, oats can easily be made into yummy cookies and added to smoothie recipes to enjoy throughout the day.

Fenugreek One of the more common herbs that are found in breastfeeding supplements is known as Fenugreek. Fenugreek is another galactogogue, the same as barley, that helps promote the hormone to increase a mother’s milk supply. You can also get Fenugreek seeds and toss them in your dishes as seasoning; they create a far more pleasant taste when cooked versus eating raw.

Fenugreek herb can be purchased to mix into tea as well. Other than helping increase milk supply Fenugreek is said to help reduce internal and external inflammation as well as contain numerous other health benefits! I first heard of Fenugreek while breastfeeding, but it is something that I have worked into my routine diet.

To learn more about all the health benefits of Fenugreek, you can read more here: Garlic I personally love garlic and use it excessively when cooking just about anything. I never knew before I had a baby that garlic was so beneficial for breastfeeding moms and has so many different health benefits in general! It is important to note that the strong pungent taste of garlic can adjust the taste of your breastmilk and your baby may not enjoy it, but if there is not a difference noticed while feeding, the health benefits garlic can provide are great for both mom and baby.

On top of increasing your milk supply, when garlic is passed on to your baby through your milk, your baby’s immunity system will get enhanced due to essential minerals, vitamins, and amino acids contained in garlic.
Additionally, garlic aids in your body’s digestion, improves heart health, has anti-infective properties, and anti-fungal properties.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy some extra garlic is making homemade garlic bread with minced garlic and butter melted on toast. Pairs perfect with family spaghetti night! Lots of Veggies: Spinach, Beet Leaves, Carrots, and Asparagus Though not as exciting, or surprising, as having beer to increase your milk supply, it is important to balance out your diet and eat some vegetables that can help increase your milk.

Spinach and beet leaves both contain iron, calcium, and folic acids, which are great for mothers with an iron deficiency. They both also have detoxifying agents and are a great mixture in soups, smoothies, or on top of a pizza! It is important to know that spinach should be eaten in moderation, too much can potentially cause diarrhea in your baby.

Carrots are full of vitamin A and also contain lactation promoting qualities. Carrots are also an easy addition to any diet since it is quick to eat with some ranch dressing as a snack, pureed into soup for dinner, or juiced or blended in a smoothie for breakfast.

Potatoes Mangos Bananas Thyme Peppermint Parsley Cabbage leaves

All in Moderation It is important to have a healthy diet while breastfeeding and be more aware of what is going into your body, and eventually into your baby’s. However, it is also important not to be hyperactive over your diet. Everything in moderation as they say! Additionally, it is common for mothers to think they are not producing enough milk, when in fact they are producing the normal amount.

Contents

- 0.0.1 Is beer good for breastfeeding mothers?

1 Can beer increase breast milk?
2 Does wine increase milk supply?
- - 2.0.1 What is the best thing to drink while breastfeeding?
  - 2.0.2 What not to drink while breastfeeding?
3 Does Apple increase breast milk?
- 3.1 Does milk stout help breastfeeding?
4 Can you have 0.5% beer when pregnant?
- 4.1 What is better for you milk or beer?
5 Why beer is better than milk?
- 5.1 Why does beer help with breast milk?
6 How much beer goes into breast milk?
7 Can you drink alcohol after milk?

Is beer good for breastfeeding mothers?

What is a “drink”? – The defines a standard “drink” as 12 ounces of 5% beer; 8 ounces of 7% malt liquor; 5 ounces of 12% wine; or 1.5 ounces of 40% (80 proof) liquor. All of these drinks contain the same amount (i.e., 14 grams, or 0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol. Not drinking alcohol is the safest option for breastfeeding mothers. Generally, moderate alcohol consumption by a breastfeeding mother (up to 1 standard drink per day) is not known to be harmful to the infant, especially if the mother waits at least 2 hours after a single drink before nursing.

Can beer increase breast milk?

– Chances are someone has encouraged you to have some Guinness to increase your breast milk supply. Where did they get this idea? Are they right? As far back as 2000 B.C. there are records seeming to show beer being prescribed as a milk-boosting agent, and this idea of alcohol being used for this purpose has been encouraged in numerous cultures for centuries,

Low-alcohol beer has even been marketed in the United States — as early as the late 1800s and even today — specifically for lactating women! However, the research doesn’t necessarily support it actually increasing milk production. You may be excited to hear that the barley aspect of beer can boost prolactin production.

However, the alcohol component of beer decreases milk production and inhibits the milk ejection reflex from letting down as much milk. According to older — but foundational — research published in 2001, as a result of this inhibited milk ejection reflex, babies consumed approximately 20 percent less breast milk during the first 4 hours after alcohol had been consumed as before, despite spending a similar amount of time on the breast.

Why is Guinness good for breastfeeding?

Is Guinness really ‘good for you’? Guinness, like other Irish stouts, enjoys a seasonal popularity every St. Patrick’s Day. It has also been touted as being “good for you,” at least by its own advertising posters decades ago. But can this creamy, rich and filling beer really be added to a list of healthy beverages? Or is its reputation just good marketing? We researched the beer’s history and talked to brewing experts and break out the good, the not-so-great and the ingenuity of Guinness.

The good The original Guinness is a type of ale known as stout.
It’s made from a grist (grain) that includes a large amount of roasted barley, which gives it its intense burnt flavor and very dark color.
And though you wouldn’t rank it as healthful as a vegetable, the stouts in general, as well as other beers, may be justified in at least some of their nutritional bragging rights.

According to Charlie Bamforth, a professor of brewing sciences at the University of California, Davis, most beers contain significant amounts of antioxidants, B vitamins, the mineral silicon (which may help protect against osteoporosis), soluble fiber and prebiotics, which promote the growth of “good” bacteria in your gut.

And Guinness may have a slight edge compared with other brews, even over other stouts.
We showed that Guinness contained the most folate of the imported beers we analyzed,” Bamforth said.
Folate is a B vitamin that our bodies need to make DNA and other genetic material; it’s also necessary for cells to divide.

According to his research, stouts on average contain 12.8 micrograms of folate, or 3.2% of the recommended daily allowance. Because Guinness contains a lot of unmalted barley, which contains more fiber than malted grain, it is also one of the beers with the highest levels of fiber, according to Bamforth.

(Note: Though the USDA lists beer as containing zero grams of fiber, Bamforth said his research shows otherwise.) Bamforth researched and co-authored studies recently published in the Journal of the Institute of Brewing and the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, The Science of Beer.

Here’s more potentially good news about Guinness: Despite its rich flavor and creamy consistency, it’s not the highest in calories compared with other beers. A 12-ounce serving of Guinness Draught has 125 calories. By comparison, the same size serving of Budweiser has 145 calories, a Heineken has 142 calories, and a Samuel Adams Cream Stout has 189 calories.

In the United States, Guinness Extra Stout, by the way, has 149 calories.
This makes sense when you consider that alcohol is the main source of calories in beers.
Guinness Draught has a lower alcohol content, at 4.2% alcohol by volume (ABV), compared with 5% for Budweiser and Heineken, and 4.9% for the Samuel Adams Cream Stout.

In general, moderate alcohol consumption – defined by the USDA’s dietary guidelines for Americans as no more than two drinks per day for men or one drink per day for women – may protect against heart disease. So you can check off another box. The not-so-great Guinness is still alcohol, and consuming too much can impair judgment and contribute to weight gain.

Heavy drinking (considered more than 15 drinks a week for men or more than eight drinks a week for women) and binge drinking (five or more drinks for men, and four or more for women, in about a two-hour period) are also associated with many health problems, including liver disease, pancreatitis and high blood pressure.

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, “alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States: 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence along with several million more who engage in risky, binge drinking patterns that could lead to alcohol problems.” And while moderate consumption of alcohol may have heart benefits for some, consumption of alcohol can also increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer for each drink consumed daily.

Many decades ago, in Ireland, it would not have been uncommon for a doctor to advise pregnant and nursing women to drink Guinness. But today, experts (particularly in the United States) caution of the dangers associated with consuming any alcohol while pregnant. “Alcohol is a teratogen, which is something that causes birth defects.

It can cause damage to the fetal brain and other organ systems,” said Dr. Erin Tracy, an OB/GYN at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive gynecology. “We don’t know of any safe dose of alcohol in pregnancy; hence we recommend abstaining entirely during this brief period of time in a woman’s life.” What about beer for breastfeeding? “In Britain, they have it in the culture that drinking Guinness is good for nursing mothers,” said Karl Siebert, professor emeritus of the food science department and previous director of the brewing program at Cornell University.

Beer in general has been regarded as a galactagogue, or stimulant of lactation, for much of history.
In fact, according to irishtimes.com, breastfeeding women in Ireland were once given a bottle of Guinness a day in maternity hospitals.
According to Domhnall Marnell, the Guinness ambassador, Guinness Original (also known as Guinness Extra Stout, depending on where it was sold) debuted in 1821, and for a time, it contained live yeast, which had a high iron content, so it was given to anemic individuals or nursing mothers then, before the effects of alcohol were fully understood.

Some studies have showed evidence that ingredients in beer can increase prolactin, a hormone necessary for milk production; others have showed the opposite. Regardless of the conclusions, the alcohol in beer also appears to counter the benefits associated with increased prolactin secretion.

“The problem is that alcohol temporarily inhibits the milk ejection reflex and overall milk supply, especially when ingested in large amounts, and chronic alcohol use lowers milk supply permanently,” said Diana West, co-author of “The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk.” “Barley can be eaten directly, or even made from commercial barley drinks, which would be less problematic than drinking beer,” West said.

If you’re still not convinced that beer is detrimental to breastfeeding, consider this fact: A nursing mother drinking any type of alcohol puts her baby in potential danger. “The fetal brain is still developing after birth – and since alcohol passes into breast milk, the baby is still at risk,” Tracy said.

“This is something we would not advocate today,” Marnell agreed. “We would not recommend to anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding to be enjoying our products during this time in their life.” Regarding the old wives’ tale about beer’s effects on breastfeeding, Marnell added, “It’s not something that Guinness has perpetuated,

and if (people are still saying it), I’d like to say once and for all, it’s not something we support or recommend.” The ingenuity Assuming you are healthy and have the green light to drink beer, you might wonder why Guinness feels like you’ve consumed a meal, despite its lower calorie and alcohol content.

It has to do with the sophistication that goes into producing and pouring Guinness. According to Bamforth, for more than half a century, Guinness has put nitrogen gas into its beer at the packaging stage, which gives smaller, more stable bubbles and delivers a more luscious mouthfeel. It also tempers the harsh burnt character coming from the roasted barley.

Guinness cans, containing a widget to control the pour, also have some nitrogen. Guinness is also dispensed through a special tap that uses a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. “In Ireland, Guinness had a long history of hiring the best and brightest university graduates regardless of what they were trained in,” Siebert said.

And they put them to work on things they needed.
One was a special tap for dispensing Guinness, which has 11 different nozzles in it, that helps to form the fine-bubbled foam.” The foam is remarkably long-lasting.
After you get a freshly poured Guinness, you can make a face in the foam, and by the time you finish drinking it, the face is still there,” Siebert said.

‘It’s a good day for a Guinness,’ unless you’re pregnant The famous advertising Guinness slogans – including “It’s a good day for a Guinness” – started through word of mouth, said Marnell. “In 1929, when we were about to do our first ad, we asked (ourselves), ‘What stance should we take?’ So we sent around a group of marketers (in Ireland and the UK) to ask Guinness drinkers why they chose Guinness, and nine out of 10 said their belief was that the beer was healthy for them.

We already had this reputation in the bars before we uttered a word about the beer.
That led to the Gilroy ads that were posted,” Marnell explained, referring to the artist John Gilroy, responsible for the Guinness ads from 1928 to the 1960s.
You’ll see the characters representing the Guinness brand – the toucan, the pelican – and slogans like ‘Guinness is good for you’ or ‘Guinness for Strength.’ But those were from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s.” Today, he said, the company would not claim any health benefits for its beer.

“If anyone is under the impression that there are health benefits to drinking Guinness, then unfortunately, I’m the bearer of bad news. Guinness is not going to build muscle or cure you of influenza.” In fact, Guinness’ parent company, Diageo, spends a lot of effort supporting responsible drinking initiatives and educating consumers about alcohol’s effects.

Its DrinkIQ page offers information such as calories in alcohol, how your body processes it and when alcohol can be dangerous, including during pregnancy.
One of the main things we focus on,
Is that while we would love people to enjoy our beer, we want to make sure they do so as responsibly as possible,” Marnell said.

“We would never recommend that anyone drink to excess, and (we want to make people) aware of how alcohol effects the body.” And again: Most health providers in the US would advise forgoing all alcohol if you are pregnant, nursing or have other health or medical issues where alcohol consumption is not advised.

Can I drink 1 beer while pregnant?

There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy or while trying to get pregnant. There is also no safe time for alcohol use during pregnancy. All types of alcohol are equally harmful, including all wines and beer.

Why does beer help milk production?

Abstract – Traditional wisdom claims that moderate beer consumption may be beneficial for initiation of breastfeeding and enhancement of breastfeeding success. Here we review the question whether or not there is any scientific basis for this popular belief.

There are clear indications that beer can stimulate prolactin secretion which may enhance lactogenesis both in non-lactating humans and in experimental animals. The component in beer responsible for the effect on prolactin secretion is not the alcohol content but apparently a polysaccharide from barley, which explains that the effect on prolactin can also be induced by non-alcoholic beer.

No systematic studies are available to evaluate the clinical effects of beer on induction of lactogenesis, and short term studies have shown a reduced breast milk intake by infants after moderate alcohol consumption of their mothers. It is conceivable that relaxing effects of both alcohol and components of hop might also have beneficial effects on lactogenesis is some women, but there is no hard evidence for causal effects.

How much beer goes into breast milk?

Alcohol’ s Effect on Lactation Although pregnant women are discouraged from drinking alcohol because of alcohol’ s detrimental effect on fetal development, the lore of many cultures encourages lactating women to drink alcohol to optimize breast milk production and infant nutrition.

In contrast to this folklore, however, studies demonstrate that maternal alcohol consumption may slightly reduce milk production. Furthermore, some of the alcohol consumed by a lactating woman is transferred to her milk and thus consumed by the infant. This alcohol consumption may adversely affect the infant s sleep and gross motor development and influence early learning about alcohol.

Based on this science, it would seem that the recommendation for a nursing mother to drink a glass of beer or wine shortly before nursing may actually be counterproductive. KEY WORDS: lactation; physiological AODE alcohol or other drug effects) ; breast milk; pregnancy hormones; infant; sleep disorder; developmental delay; motor coordination; alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder; learning Throughout most of human evolution, infants for several years after birth received their nutrients primarily from their mothers in the form of breast milk.

Breast milk is a complex fluid produced by the mother’s body that fulfills a similar nutritional function as does the placenta during pregnancy. That is, it protects the infant from disease and influences certain aspects of the infant’ s behavior and physiology. In essence, without successful breast-feeding, the human species would not have survived.

In many cultures a centuries-old belief persists that the process of breast-milk production and breastfeeding (i.e., lactation) can be optimized by having lactating women drink alcohol (Mennella 1999), For example, the consumption of small quantities of alcohol shortly before nursing is believed to increase milk yield, facilitate the release of the milk from the mammary glands where it is produced (i.e., the let-down), and relax both the mother and infant.

In fact, this folklore was so well ingrained in American tradition that, in 1895, a major U.S.
Brewery produced Malt Nutrine, a low-alcoholic beer composed of barley malt and hops.
This product was sold exclusively in drugstores and prescribed by physicians as a tonic for pregnant and lactating women and a nutritional beverage for children (Krebs 1953),

Its production was halted during Prohibition because it contained more than 0.5 percent alcohol. Even in modern times, alcohol continues to be hailed as an agent that promotes lactation (i.e., a galactagogue), For example, women in Mexico are encouraged to drink as much as two liters ( i.e.

One-half gallon) of pulque – a low-alcohol beverage made from the fermented juice of the plant Agave atrovirens – daily during both pregnancy and lactation.
Similarly, Indochinese women in California drink wine steeped with herbs, and in Germany malt beer is considered a “magic elixir.” Alcohol consumption among lactating women also is common in the United States.

You might be interested: What Kind Of Alcohol Is In White Claws?

Epidemiological studies found that although lactating women were less likely to report occasional binges of heavy drinking, the regular drinking patterns at 1 and 3 months after giving birth ( i.e., postpartum) did not differ significantly between women who elected to breastfeed and women who never breastfed ( Little et al.1990),

In contrast, breast-feeding women limited their use of other drugs ( e.g.
Were less likely to smoke cigarettes or marijuana or to use cocaine),
In the same survey approximately 10 percent of lactating women reported consuming at least one drink daily.
Whether these women were drinking in response to the folklore mentioned above is not known.

A recent study has indicated, however, that lactating women who were either encouraged to drink or received no advice at all about alcohol reported drinking significantly more than did women who were advised not to drink (Mennella 1997). The claims that alcohol benefits lactation are not accompanied by any controlled scientific evidence, and little research has been conducted in this area.

This article reviews the existing scientific literature on alcohol s effects on lactation.
After a brief overview of the initiation and maintenance of lactation, the article describes the transfer of alcohol to human milk and the effects that maternal alcohol consumption have on the interaction between mother and infant.

This discussion includes effects on milk production and milk properties ( e.g., flavor), the infant s milk intake, and the infant s motor development and early learning. Overview of Lactation Breast milk is produced by mammary glands located in the breast tissue.

These glands are present from birth, but become fully functional for milk production only during pregnancy.
Several hormones regulate the development of the mammary glands as well as the initiation and maintenance of lactation.
The most important of these hormones are prolactin and oxytocin, both of which are produced in the pituitary gland in the brain.

Prolactin, together with other hormones ( e.g., estrogen and progesterone), regulates the final development of the mammary glands during pregnancy. After birth ( i.e., parturition), the woman s hormonal environment changes, and in this setting prolactin can initiate milk secretion from the mammary glands.

In addition to its role in mammary gland development and initiation of lactation, prolactin also is essential for the maintenance of lactation. During each feeding session, the infant s suckling at the breast induces prolactin release from the pituitary gland. This prolactin release stimulates the mammary glands to produce new milk before the next feeding.

The extent of prolactin release (and, consequently, the amount of milk produced) is determined by the intensity of the suckling. Thus, if an infant is hungry and nurses strongly, the resulting high levels of prolactin released from the pituitary gland ensure sufficient milk production to meet the infant s needs.

Conversely, any conditions that interfere with effective suckling will result in lower levels of prolactin release, thereby compromising milk production.
Oxytocin plays a key role in the milk let-down during nursing.
Its release from the pituitary gland in response to suckling or other stimuli causes certain cells around the mammary glands to contract, thereby expelling the milk from the glands into small ducts leading to the nipple.

Without this let-down reflex, the infant cannot nurse and empty the breast effectively. Transfer of Alcohol Into the Milk When a lactating woman consumes alcohol, some of that alcohol is transferred into the milk. In general, less than 2 percent of the alcohol dose consumed by the mother reaches her milk and blood.

Alcohol is not stored in breast milk, however, but its level parallels that found in the maternal blood. That means that as long as the mother has substantial blood alcohol levels, the milk also will contain alcohol. Accordingly, the common practice of pumping the breasts and then discarding the milk immediately after drinking alcohol does not hasten the disappearance of alcohol from the milk as the newly produced milk still will contain alcohol as long as the mother has measurable blood alcohol levels.

Peak alcohol levels both in the mother’ s blood and in the milk occur approximately one-half hour to an hour after drinking and decrease thereafter, although there are considerable individual differences in the timing of peak levels and in alcohol elimination rates in both milk and blood (Lawton 1985; Mennella and Beauchamp 1991),

Therefore, lactating women should not nurse for several hours after drinking until their blood alcohol levels have declined again.
The question of whether exposure to alcohol in the mother’s milk can affect an infant in the short or long term has generated much speculation in the medical community.
Because alcohol is excreted only to a limited extent in breast milk, many clinicians consider occasional exposure insignificant except in rare cases of intoxication in which the mother of a breast-feeding infant drinks heavily or in which a child is inadvertently fed large amounts of alcohol in a bottle.

Contrary to this perception, however, the limited research that exists to date suggests that alcohol administration through the breast milk may affect the infant in several ways, such as altering milk intake and influencing infant behavior and early development and learning.

These effects are discussed in the following sections. Alcohol’ s Effect on the Breast-feeding Process and the Infant As mentioned earlier, folklore suggests that alcohol consumption by a lactating woman improves milk production and, in turn, the nutrition of her infant. Contrary to this assumption, however, studies have found that breast-fed infants consumed, on average, 20 percent less breast milk during the 3 to 4 hours following their mothers consumption of an alcoholic beverage (Mennella and Beauchamp 1991, 1993).

This finding is consistent with the results of similar studies conducted in rats (Subramanian and Abel 1988; Swiatek et al.1986; Vilaró et al.1987). The observed decrease in milk intake did not occur because the infants nursed for shorter periods of time (Mennella and Beauchamp 1991, 1993) or rejected the mother s milk because of an altered flavor following maternal alcohol consumption (Mennella 1997).

Rather, maternal alcohol consumption reduced the amount of milk produced (i.e.
Quantity) without altering its quality (e.g.
Caloric content) (Mennella 1999),
As described earlier, the production and ejection of milk from the mammary gland are the result of highly synchronized hormonal processes that are governed, at least in part, by the frequency and intensity of the infant’s suckling.

These hormonal processes may be influenced by alcohol consumption. For example, studies in lactating rats demonstrated that although acute alcohol administration did not affect base line prolactin levels, it significantly inhibited suckling-induced prolactin and oxytocin release as well as milk production and, consequently, the pups milk intake (Subramanian and Abel 1988; Subramanian 1999).

Whether acute alcohol consumption has similar effects on the hormonal milieu in lactating women is not known, however. Nor do researchers know whether chronic drinking affects the quantity and quality of milk produced in humans (see Heil et al.1999). Although infants consumed less milk when their mothers had consumed an alcoholic beverage compared with a nonalcoholic beverage, the mothers were apparently unaware of this difference (Mennella and Beauchamp 1993),

That is, mothers who had consumed an alcoholic beverage believed their infants had ingested enough milk, reported that they experienced the sensation of milk let-down, and felt they had milk remaining in their breasts at the end of the majority of feedings.

Because milk intake and the rate of milk production varies from feeding to feeding, a small difference in the infant s milk intake may be difficult for women to perceive.
With breast-fed infants, the amount of milk ingested often varies, and milk usually can be expressed from the mother’ s breasts after a feeding.

Perhaps one reason why the folklore that alcohol is a galactagogue has persisted for centuries is that a lactating mother does not have an immediate means of assessing whether her infant consumes more or less milk in the short term. Effect on Infant Sleep Another presumed effect of maternal alcohol consumption is to relax the infant and thus promote the infant s sleep.

Studies found, however, that in the short term, acute exposure to alcohol in mothers milk altered the infants sleep-wake patterning in ways that are contrary to this medical lore (Mennella and Gerrish 1998).
Infants whose mothers were light drinkers during both pregnancy and lactation slept for significantly shorter periods of time during the 3.5 hours after nursing when the mothers had consumed an alcoholic beverage than when they had consumed a nonalcoholic beverage.

This reduction was due in part to a decrease in the amount of time the infants spent in active sleep.1 (1 Active sleep, also called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, is the sleep stage during which dreaming occurs ).This finding is consistent with the results of studies assessing alcohol’s effect on sleep in the near-term fetus (Mulder et al.1998), normal adults (Williams et al.1983), and other animals (Mendelson and Hill 1978).

Effects on Infant Development Researchers examined the longer-term effects of alcohol consumption by lactating women in an epidemiological study of 400 breast-fed infants and their mothers. The study assessed the relationship between the mothers’ alcohol use during lactation and their infants’ development at 1 year of age (Little et al.1989).

The study found that gross motor development was slightly, but significantly, altered in infants who were exposed regularly (i.e., at least daily) to alcohol in their mothers milk. No significant correlation existed, however, between maternal drinking and the infants’ mental development.

Furthermore, the motor and mental development of infants whose mothers drank less than one drink per day did not differ significantly from the development of infants whose mothers did not drink at all or who were formula fed. The association between maternal drinking and delayed motor development persisted even after the investigators controlled for more than 100 potentially attributable to alcohol-related differences in maternal behavior, because infants of heavy drinkers who were weaned at an early age had significantly higher scores on motor development than did infants of heavy drinkers who were weaned at an older age and thus were exposed to alcohol longer (Little 1990).

To explain the effects of alcohol consumed through breast milk on infant development, researchers have formulated several hypotheses (see Little et al.1989), For example, some have suggested that the developing brain is highly sensitive even to small quantities of alcohol.

Others have posited that alcohol may accumulate in the infant following repeated exposure because infants may break down ( i.e., metabolize) or excrete alcohol more slowly than do adults. Some evidence suggests that infants have a limited capacity to metabolize alcohol, which in turn may render the alcohol dose more potent.

For example, studies found that like alcohol, caffeine is excreted to a limited extent in breast milk and the dose presented to the infants is generally less than 2 percent of the maternal dose. Breast-fed infants are at greater risk for accumulating caffeine, however, than are older children and adults.

This accumulation may be due to a lower activity in infants of an enzyme system in the liver called the cytochrome P-450 system, which is involved in caffeine break-down. Because the same enzyme system is involved in alcohol metabolism, its reduced activity in infants could result in alcohol accumulation.

Effects on Early Learning In addition to the effects of maternal alcohol consumption on infant nutrition and development, experience with the sensory qualities of alcohol in the mother’ s milk may affect the infant in other important ways. Animal studies have revealed that young animals (including presumably humans) form memories based on orosensory experiences during nursing and retain these memories for a considerable time ( Molina et al.1999),

This observation is especially relevant because infants can detect the flavor of alcohol in mothers milk (Mennella 1997), Moreover, the context in which the infant experiences alcohol that is, with the mother and during breastfeeding consists of numerous elements that reinforce early learning, such as tactile stimulation, warmth, milk, and the mother’ s voice.

Studies have demonstrated that such experiences can influence the infants responses to alcohol. For example, breast-fed infants differentially responded to toys that were identical in appearance but differed in scent (Mennella and Beauchamp 1998). The investigators observed infants who had been exposed to alcohol to various degrees, as inferred from questionnaires about maternal and paternal risk for alcoholism and alcohol intake, with respect to four behaviors ( i.e.

, mouthing, looking, manipulating the toy, and vocalizing) in response to an alcohol-scented, vanilla-scented, or unscented toy. The study found infants who had more exposure to alcohol behaved differently in the presence of an alcohol-scented toy than did infants with less alcohol exposure. Specifically, infants who had more exposure to alcohol demonstrated more mouthing of the alcohol-scented toy, but not of the other toys, than did infants with less alcohol exposure.

This finding is consistent with animal studies indicating that rat pups exposed to the flavor of alcohol in milk increased their mouthing rates in response to alcohol odor and were more willing to ingest alcohol-flavored solutions (Hunt et al.1993),

These results suggest that at least some of the early learning about alcohol is based on sensory experiences and is anchored to experiences with the parents.
Research on children ages 3 to 6 years also revealed that the emotional context in which parents experience alcohol, as well as their frequency of drinking, is related to children’ s liking the odor of alcohol (Mennella and Garcia 2000).

Children of a parent or parents who drank alcohol to escape problems were more likely to judge the odor of beer as unpleasant than were similarly aged children whose parents did not drink to escape. These findings are consistent with animal studies demonstrating that pups exposed to an intoxicated mother followed by pairings of alcohol odor and an arousing texture (i.e.

Sandpaper) later demonstrated an aversion to the texture ( Molina et al.2000), Moreover, they concur with previous reports that elementary school-aged children of alcoholic parents were more likely to report negative expectations regarding alcohol’ s effects than were control children (Miller et al.1990; Wiers et al.1998),

Thus, together with the results of Noll and colleagues (1990), the studies by Mennella and colleagues (Mennella and Garcia 2000; Mennella and Beauchamp 1998) indicate that the child’ s learning about alcohol may be occurring at even younger ages than previously thought.

Conclusions Because of the paucity of scientific investigations on alcohol’ s effects on breast-feeding, women, and consequently their infants, have had to rely on a rich folklore that has been passed down for generations.
This lore relates that alcohol has galactogenic properties that facilitate milk let-down and rectify milk insufficiency as well as sedative properties that alleviate and calm the fussy infant.

The scientific study of alcohol’ s effect on the lactation process has called these assumptions into serious question, however. For example, such studies indicated that infants actually ingest less milk at the breast during the hours immediately following maternal alcohol consumption and that this diminished intake results, at least in part, from alcohol’s direct effect on the mothers milk production.

Furthermore, exposure to alcohol in mothers milk disrupted the infants sleep-wake pattern and motor development in ways that are contrary to the folklore. Based on these scientific studies, it would seem that the recommendation for a nursing mother to drink a glass of beer or wine shortly before nursing may actually be counterproductive, even though the mother may be more relaxed after a drink.

Scientific evidence such as that discussed above should not frighten women away from breastfeeding, however. It is not known how many women stop breastfeeding because of their concern about alcohol in their breast milk, thereby depriving their infants of the best nutrition available for them.

Unlike the situation during pregnancy, when alcohol consumed at any time is passed on to the fetus, a lactating woman who drinks occasionally can limit her infant’ s exposure to alcohol by not nursing for several hours after drinking, until the alcohol has been eliminated from her body and, consequently, her milk.

Knowledge about the timing of alcohol s transfer to the milk and about the potential effects that alcohol exposure via breast milk has on the infant is crucial for lactating women and health care professionals to make the best decisions for infants. References HEIL, S.H.

HUNGUND, B.L.
ZHENG, Z.H.
JEN, K.L.
AND SUBRAMANIAN, M.G.
Ethanol and lactation: Effects of milk lipids and serum constituents.
Alcohol 18: 43 48, 1999.
HUNT, P.S.
RAEBEL, K.S.
RABINE, H.
SPEAR, L.P.
AND SPEAR, N.E.
Enhanced ethanol intake in preweanling rats following exposure to ethanol in a nursing context.

Developmental Psychobiology 26: 133 153, 1993. KREBS, R. Making Friends Is Our Business 100 Years of Anheuser-Busch, Missouri: A-B Inc., 1953. LAWTON, M.E. Alcohol in breast milk. Australian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 25: 71 73, 1985. LITTLE, R.E.

Maternal use of alcohol and breast-fed infants.
New England Journal of Medicine 322: 339, 1990.
LITTLE, R.E.
LAMBERT, M.D.
AND WORTHINGTON ROBERTS, B.
Drinking and smoking at 3 months postpartum by lactation history.
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 4: 290 302, 1989.
LITTLE, R.E.
ANDERSON, K.W.

; ERVIN, C.H. ; WORTHINGTON-ROBERTS, B. ; AND CLARREN, S.K. Maternal alcohol use during breast feeding and infant mental and motor development at one year. New England Journal of Medicine 321: 425 430, 1990. MENDELSON, W.B., AND HILL, S.Y. : Effects of the acute administration of ethanol on the sleep of the rat: A dose-response study.

Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 8: 723 726, 1978.
MENNELLA, J.A.
The human infant s suckling responses to the flavor of alcohol in mother s milk.
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 21: 581 585, 1997.
MENNELLA, J.A.
The transfer of alcohol to human milk: Sensory implications and effects on mother-infant interaction.

In: Hannigan J.H. ; Spear, N. ; Spear, L. ; and Goodlett, C.R., eds. Alcohol and Alcoholism: Brain and Development, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1999. pp.177 198. MENNELLA, J.A., AND BEAUCHAMP, G.K. The transfer of alcohol to human milk: Effects on flavor and the infant’ s behavior.

New England Journal of Medicine 325: 981 985, 1991.
MENNELLA, J.A.
AND BEAUCHAMP, G.K.
Beer, breast feeding and folklore.
Developmental Psycho-biology 26: 459 466, 1993.
MENNELLA, J.A.
AND BEAUCHAMP, G.K.
The infant’ s response to scented toys: Effects of expo-sure.
Chemical Senses 23: 11 17, 1998.
MENNELLA, J.A.

, AND GARCIA, P.J. The child’ s hedonic response to the smell of alcohol: Effects of parental drinking habits. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 24: 1167 1171, 2000. MENNELLA, J.A., AND GERRISH, C.J. Effects of exposure to alcohol in mother s milk on infant sleep.

Pediatrics 101( 5) : 21-25, 1998. MILLER, P.M. ; SMITH, G.T. ; AND GOLDMAN, M.S. Emergence of alcohol expectancies in childhood: A possible critical period. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 31: 343 349, 1990. MOLINA, J.C. ; DOMINGUEZ, H.D. ; LOPEZ, M.F. ; PEPINO, M.Y. ; AND FAAS, A.E. The role of fetal and infantile experience with alcohol in later recognition and acceptance patterns of the drug.

In: Hannigan, J.H. ; Spear, N. ; Spear, L. ; and Goodlett, C.R., eds. Alcohol and Alcoholism: Brain and Development, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1999. pp.199 228. MOLINA, J.C. ; PEPINO, M.Y. ; JOHNSON, J. ; AND SPEAR, N.E. The infant rat learns about alcohol through interaction with an intoxicated mother.

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 24: 428 437, 2000.
MULDER, E.J.H.
MORSSINK, L.P.
VAN DER SCHEE, T.
AND VISSER, G.H.A.
Acute maternal alcohol consumption disrupts behavioral state organization in the near-term fetus,
Pediatric Research 44: 774 779, 1998.
NOLL, R.B.
ZUCKER, R.A.
AND GREENBERG, G.S.

Identification of alcohol by smell among preschoolers: evidence for early socialization about drugs in the home, Child Development 61: 1520 1527, 1990. SUBRAMANIAN, M.G. Alcohol inhibits suckling-induced oxytocin release in the lactating rat. Alcohol 19: 51 55, 1999.

SUBRAMANIAN, M.G., AND ABEL, E.L. Alcohol inhibits suckling-induced prolactin release and milk yield. Alcohol 5: 95 98, 1988. SWIATEK; K.R. ; DOMBROWSKI JR., G.J. ; AND CHAO, K. -L. The inefficient transfer of maternally fed alcohol to nursing rats. Alcohol 3: 169 174, 1986. VILAR ó, S. ; VIÑAS, O. ; REMESAR, X.

; AND HERRERA, E. Effects of chronic ethanol consumption on lactational performance in the rat: Mammary gland and milk composition and pups growth and metabolism. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 27: 333 339, 1987.WIERS, R.W. ; GUNNING, W.B. ; AND SERGEANT, J.A.

ALCOHOL ALERT

Can Alcohol-Associated Cognitive Deficits Hamper Recovery From Alcoholism? New findings relevant to this and other questions can be found in Alcohol Alert, the quarterly bulletin published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol Alert provides timely information on alcohol research and treatment. Each issue addresses a specific topic in alcohol research and summarizes critical findings in a brief, four-page, easy-to-read format. Cognitive Impairment and Recovery From Alcoholism (No.53) describes the nature and consequences of common alcohol-associated cognitive defects, explores the extent to which some cognitive abilities recover with abstinence, and summarizes recent research on the effects of cognitive deficits on alcoholism treatment outcome.

For a free subscription to Alcohol Alert, write to: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Attn.: Alcohol Alert, Publications Distribution Center, P.O. Box 10686, Rockville, MD 20849 0686. Fax: (202) 842 0418. Alcohol Alert is also available on NIAAA s Web site (http: / / www.niaaa.nih.gov).

Alcohol’ s Effect on Lactation

Does wine increase milk supply?

Does drinking alcohol help increase milk production? – Despite what you might have heard, alcohol has actually been proven to inhibit let-down and decrease milk production. While babies might nurse more frequently in the hours after you have had a drink, their milk intake is usually lower than usual.

What is the best thing to drink while breastfeeding?

You don’t have to eat differently while you’re breastfeeding but, just like any other time, it’s important to have a healthy, balanced diet, You shouldn’t need any extra calories. Breastfeeding can make you thirsty, so drink plenty to stay hydrated. You may need up to 700ml of extra fluid a day.

fresh fruit and raw vegetables, such as cucumber, carrot or celery batonsa sandwich made with salad, and cheese, tuna or cold meat rice crackers with a healthy topping, such as cottage cheese or avocadoyoghurthummus with breadsticks or vegetable sticksa boiled eggdried fruit, such as apricotsunsalted nutsvegetable and bean soupsporridge, muesli and fortified unsweetened breakfast cerealsbaked beans on wholegrain toast or a baked potato

You might be interested: How Much Moonshine Will 5 Gals Wash Produce?

You can now enjoy foods that were off-limits in pregnancy, such as soft cheeses and pates. The same rules about fish apply, though, which is to limit shark, swordfish or marlin to one portion a week. Don’t eat more than two portions a week of fresh oily fish, but you can have as much canned tuna and white fish as you like.

Enjoying a range of foods is good for your baby, as well as you.
Traces of anything you eat and drink can get into your breastmilk and the foods you eat can flavour it.
This may help your baby to be more accepting of new tastes when she starts solid foods at about six months.
However, occasionally, babies may have a reaction to something their mum has consumed.

About one breastfed baby in 200 is affected by cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) if their mum has dairy in her diet. CPMA usually causes mild versions of the following symptoms in breastfed babies:

itchy skin and a red rash (hives)vomiting or reflux a poor appetite eczema changes to her poo

If you think your baby may have CMPA, talk to your GP about removing dairy produce from your diet for between two weeks and six weeks, to see if it makes a difference. Your GP may advise you to take a calcium supplement while you’re cutting out dairy, and she may refer you to a dietitian. Some foods in a mum’s diet may be linked with windy, unsettled babies. These include:

cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbageonions and garlicbeansstone fruits, such as peaches and plums, which contain sugars that some people find hard to digest

Speak to your health visitor or doctor before removing these foods from your diet. They’re all healthy options for you, and your baby’s symptoms may be caused by something else. It’s fine to eat peanuts when you are breastfeeding. If you have a history of allergies in your family, your doctor should be able to advise you about how to wean your baby.

Caffeine can reach your baby through your breastmilk.
Caffeine is a stimulant, and may make your baby irritable and restless.
It’s sensible to keep your intake below 200mg a day – the same as when you were pregnant.
Read more about caffeine and breastfeeding,
It’s best not to drink alcohol for at least the first three months, as your baby’s liver is still maturing.

After that, one or two units, once or twice a week, probably won’t affect your baby. Read more about breastfeeding and alcohol, As long as you have a healthy, balanced diet, you don’t need to take any special breastfeeding supplements. However, the Department of Health recommends everyone in the UK, including breastfeeding mums, should consider taking a supplement of 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D a day, especially during the winter months.

What not to drink while breastfeeding?

Caffeine. It’s not just tea and coffee that contains caffeine, it’s in chocolate and various energy drinks and soft drinks. It’s wiser to cut caffeine out while breastfeeding as it’s a stimulant which can make your baby restless.

Does Apple increase breast milk?

Infographic: Ways To Include Apples In Your Breastfeeding Diet – Apples are a rich source of many nutrients and help maintain an adequate milk supply. Apples give nursing mothers the energy they need to heal and provide the ideal development environment for their newborns. Check out the infographic below to uncover ways to include apples in your nursing diet. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Does milk stout help breastfeeding?

I did some research and quickly realized that with some additions and adjustments to my diet I could increase my milk supply. So, for all you breastfeeding moms out there, listen up and get ready to be greatly pleased with some of the foods and drinks you can indulge in a little more this holiday feasting season.

The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout Left Hand Milk Stout Belching Beaver Brewery: Peanut Butter Milk Stout

If you are worried about drinking any alcohol while breastfeeding there is always the option of finding a non-alcoholic beer rich in barley that will also help increase your milk supply. Oatmeal Not only is oatmeal filled with fiber and energy, which helps your digestion and gets you through the day, according to folk wisdom, oats can help mother’s increase their milk supply.

Regardless, having a healthy breakfast in your daily routine can’t hurt and maybe it will be the perfect solution for you and your baby; I know it helped me! If you are not a fan of oatmeal in the morning, oats can easily be made into yummy cookies and added to smoothie recipes to enjoy throughout the day.

Fenugreek herb can be purchased to mix into tea as well. Other than helping increase milk supply Fenugreek is said to help reduce internal and external inflammation as well as contain numerous other health benefits! I first heard of Fenugreek while breastfeeding, but it is something that I have worked into my routine diet.

On top of increasing your milk supply, when garlic is passed on to your baby through your milk, your baby’s immunity system will get enhanced due to essential minerals, vitamins, and amino acids contained in garlic.
Additionally, garlic aids in your body’s digestion, improves heart health, has anti-infective properties, and anti-fungal properties.

Spinach and beet leaves both contain iron, calcium, and folic acids, which are great for mothers with an iron deficiency. They both also have detoxifying agents and are a great mixture in soups, smoothies, or on top of a pizza! It is important to know that spinach should be eaten in moderation, too much can potentially cause diarrhea in your baby.

Potatoes Mangos Bananas Thyme Peppermint Parsley Cabbage leaves

Can you have 0.5% beer when pregnant?

So, while the risk of harm in drinking beer under 0.5% ABV is extremely low, there’s still no guarantee that it’s completely safe in pregnancy. However, some experts say the Department of Health and ACOG advice is too precautionary and ‘may cause more harm than good’.

What is better for you milk or beer?

Believe it or not, throughout history, there have been numerous times when beer was considered something of a health drink. For example, historians debate the degree to which ancient people turned to beer instead of water for energy, In the eighteenth century, beer was the equivalent of a cold-pressed green juice compared to the evils of gin,

But now PETA’s here with a hot take targeted to higher academia’s hardest drinkers. Their claim: Beer is better for you than milk. An advertisement from PETA planned for bus stops near the University of Wisconsin-Madison, purportedly the nation’s hardest-partying school, apes the “Got milk?” campaign to ask, “Got beer?” Not exactly your typical tactic for recruiting vegans, but one that PETA has tried before,

The ad continues, “It’s official: Beer is better for you than milk. Studies show that beer can strengthen bones and extend life, while milk is linked to obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Drink responsibly: Don’t drink milk.” With an asterisk, it cites none other than Harvard’s School of Public Health and three prestigious medical journals as proof of its assertion.

In a press release, PETA’s executive vice president Tracy Reiman said, “The verdict is in, and even beer beats milk hands down. Alcohol in moderation can be good for you, but there’s no way to consume dairy foods responsibly when they harm our health and cause billions of cows to suffer.” Interestingly, the bit about drinking moderately isn’t included on the planned advertisements.

READ MORE: Milk Doesn’t Do Shit For Your Bones “As a scientist and a parent, I find their claims really irresponsible, particularly when we have such a problem with overconsumption of alcohol on many university campuses,” Greg Miller, chief science officer at the National Dairy Council told MUNCHIES.

Miller serves or has served on the editorial boards of a number of nutrition journals and is also a past symposium editor of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which PETA cites to make its claim.
I work for the industry so don’t take my word for it, go look at the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” There’s plenty of research about the benefits and risks of drinking alcohol, and the findings are often conflicting.

One study found that drinking moderately can make you age slower and promote heart health, while another concluded that moderate drinking doesn’t make you any healthier and can actually cause seven types of cancer, Photo via Flickr user Marina Shemesh Harvard’s School of Public Health has a website that helps people weigh the health benefits and risks of drinking. Generally, experts agree on one thing—getting totally blasted isn’t good for you. Another thing we can probably all agree upon is that students at University of Wisconsin-Madison don’t need any more encouragement to drink beer.

READ MORE: This Craft Beer Made with Seawater Is (Almost) Hangover-Free “It’s just unfortunate that they would go to such low tactics to turn people into vegans. There is certainly some science showing that moderate alcohol consumption may have health benefits,” Miller told MUNCHIES. “But one of the problems we have on university campuses is there’s too much binge drinking.

I think they’re going to exacerbate what’s already a problem on campus.” The health benefits of milk have also been thrown into question at times. While milk has long been considered a good source of calcium and vitamins, it’s also high in fat, and has been accused of causing inflammation.

Some studies have even linked milk intake with higher mortality rates and questioned whether milk strengthens bones at all.
Harvard’s official recommendations advise limiting dairy intake to one or two servings a day, and to seek alternative sources of calcium.
Harvard’s School of Public Health declined to comment for this story, as did the American Journal of Epidemiology,

Other journals didn’t respond to requests for comment by press time. The effects of the ads in dairy- and booze-mad Wisconsin remain to be seen, but it seems safe to assume that beer is more popular than milk among students at a school known for a 100,000-person-strong drunken Halloween parade dubbed “Freakfest” that has ended in riots more than a few times.

Why beer is better than milk?

04 /7 Other beer benefits – Beer is known to help boost bone health. It has dietary silicon which is important for the growth and health of bone and connective tissues whereas milk has been linked with serious health issues such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. They are also believed to be the cause of conditions such as acne, mucus, with symptoms of lactose intolerance. readmore

Why does beer help with breast milk?

There are clear indications that beer can stimulate prolactin secretion which may enhance lactogenesis both in non-lactating humans and in experimental animals. The component in beer responsible for the effect on prolactin secretion is not the alcohol content but apparently a polysaccharide from barley, which explains that the effect on prolactin can also be induced by non-alcoholic beer.

How much beer goes into breast milk?

In contrast to this folklore, however, studies demonstrate that maternal alcohol consumption may slightly reduce milk production. Furthermore, some of the alcohol consumed by a lactating woman is transferred to her milk and thus consumed by the infant. This alcohol consumption may adversely affect the infant s sleep and gross motor development and influence early learning about alcohol.

Breast milk is a complex fluid produced by the mother’s body that fulfills a similar nutritional function as does the placenta during pregnancy. That is, it protects the infant from disease and influences certain aspects of the infant’ s behavior and physiology. In essence, without successful breast-feeding, the human species would not have survived.

In fact, this folklore was so well ingrained in American tradition that, in 1895, a major U.S.
Brewery produced Malt Nutrine, a low-alcoholic beer composed of barley malt and hops.
This product was sold exclusively in drugstores and prescribed by physicians as a tonic for pregnant and lactating women and a nutritional beverage for children (Krebs 1953),

One-half gallon) of pulque – a low-alcohol beverage made from the fermented juice of the plant Agave atrovirens – daily during both pregnancy and lactation. Similarly, Indochinese women in California drink wine steeped with herbs, and in Germany malt beer is considered a “magic elixir.” Alcohol consumption among lactating women also is common in the United States.

In contrast, breast-feeding women limited their use of other drugs ( e.g.
Were less likely to smoke cigarettes or marijuana or to use cocaine),
In the same survey approximately 10 percent of lactating women reported consuming at least one drink daily.
Whether these women were drinking in response to the folklore mentioned above is not known.

This article reviews the existing scientific literature on alcohol s effects on lactation.
After a brief overview of the initiation and maintenance of lactation, the article describes the transfer of alcohol to human milk and the effects that maternal alcohol consumption have on the interaction between mother and infant.

These glands are present from birth, but become fully functional for milk production only during pregnancy.
Several hormones regulate the development of the mammary glands as well as the initiation and maintenance of lactation.
The most important of these hormones are prolactin and oxytocin, both of which are produced in the pituitary gland in the brain.

In addition to its role in mammary gland development and initiation of lactation, prolactin also is essential for the maintenance of lactation.
During each feeding session, the infant s suckling at the breast induces prolactin release from the pituitary gland.
This prolactin release stimulates the mammary glands to produce new milk before the next feeding.

Conversely, any conditions that interfere with effective suckling will result in lower levels of prolactin release, thereby compromising milk production. Oxytocin plays a key role in the milk let-down during nursing. Its release from the pituitary gland in response to suckling or other stimuli causes certain cells around the mammary glands to contract, thereby expelling the milk from the glands into small ducts leading to the nipple.

Alcohol is not stored in breast milk, however, but its level parallels that found in the maternal blood.
That means that as long as the mother has substantial blood alcohol levels, the milk also will contain alcohol.
Accordingly, the common practice of pumping the breasts and then discarding the milk immediately after drinking alcohol does not hasten the disappearance of alcohol from the milk as the newly produced milk still will contain alcohol as long as the mother has measurable blood alcohol levels.

You might be interested: How Many Fl Oz In A Beer?

Therefore, lactating women should not nurse for several hours after drinking until their blood alcohol levels have declined again. The question of whether exposure to alcohol in the mother’s milk can affect an infant in the short or long term has generated much speculation in the medical community. Because alcohol is excreted only to a limited extent in breast milk, many clinicians consider occasional exposure insignificant except in rare cases of intoxication in which the mother of a breast-feeding infant drinks heavily or in which a child is inadvertently fed large amounts of alcohol in a bottle.

These effects are discussed in the following sections.
Alcohol’ s Effect on the Breast-feeding Process and the Infant As mentioned earlier, folklore suggests that alcohol consumption by a lactating woman improves milk production and, in turn, the nutrition of her infant.
Contrary to this assumption, however, studies have found that breast-fed infants consumed, on average, 20 percent less breast milk during the 3 to 4 hours following their mothers consumption of an alcoholic beverage (Mennella and Beauchamp 1991, 1993).

Rather, maternal alcohol consumption reduced the amount of milk produced (i.e.
Quantity) without altering its quality (e.g.
Caloric content) (Mennella 1999),
As described earlier, the production and ejection of milk from the mammary gland are the result of highly synchronized hormonal processes that are governed, at least in part, by the frequency and intensity of the infant’s suckling.

Whether acute alcohol consumption has similar effects on the hormonal milieu in lactating women is not known, however.
Nor do researchers know whether chronic drinking affects the quantity and quality of milk produced in humans (see Heil et al.1999).
Although infants consumed less milk when their mothers had consumed an alcoholic beverage compared with a nonalcoholic beverage, the mothers were apparently unaware of this difference (Mennella and Beauchamp 1993),

Because milk intake and the rate of milk production varies from feeding to feeding, a small difference in the infant s milk intake may be difficult for women to perceive. With breast-fed infants, the amount of milk ingested often varies, and milk usually can be expressed from the mother’ s breasts after a feeding.

Studies found, however, that in the short term, acute exposure to alcohol in mothers milk altered the infants sleep-wake patterning in ways that are contrary to this medical lore (Mennella and Gerrish 1998).
Infants whose mothers were light drinkers during both pregnancy and lactation slept for significantly shorter periods of time during the 3.5 hours after nursing when the mothers had consumed an alcoholic beverage than when they had consumed a nonalcoholic beverage.

Effects on Infant Development Researchers examined the longer-term effects of alcohol consumption by lactating women in an epidemiological study of 400 breast-fed infants and their mothers. The study assessed the relationship between the mothers’ alcohol use during lactation and their infants’ development at 1 year of age (Little et al.1989).

Others have posited that alcohol may accumulate in the infant following repeated exposure because infants may break down ( i.e.
Metabolize) or excrete alcohol more slowly than do adults.
Some evidence suggests that infants have a limited capacity to metabolize alcohol, which in turn may render the alcohol dose more potent.

This accumulation may be due to a lower activity in infants of an enzyme system in the liver called the cytochrome P-450 system, which is involved in caffeine break-down.
Because the same enzyme system is involved in alcohol metabolism, its reduced activity in infants could result in alcohol accumulation.

Mouthing, looking, manipulating the toy, and vocalizing) in response to an alcohol-scented, vanilla-scented, or unscented toy. The study found infants who had more exposure to alcohol behaved differently in the presence of an alcohol-scented toy than did infants with less alcohol exposure. Specifically, infants who had more exposure to alcohol demonstrated more mouthing of the alcohol-scented toy, but not of the other toys, than did infants with less alcohol exposure.

These results suggest that at least some of the early learning about alcohol is based on sensory experiences and is anchored to experiences with the parents.
Research on children ages 3 to 6 years also revealed that the emotional context in which parents experience alcohol, as well as their frequency of drinking, is related to children’ s liking the odor of alcohol (Mennella and Garcia 2000).

Sandpaper) later demonstrated an aversion to the texture ( Molina et al.2000),
Moreover, they concur with previous reports that elementary school-aged children of alcoholic parents were more likely to report negative expectations regarding alcohol’ s effects than were control children (Miller et al.1990; Wiers et al.1998),

Conclusions Because of the paucity of scientific investigations on alcohol’ s effects on breast-feeding, women, and consequently their infants, have had to rely on a rich folklore that has been passed down for generations.
This lore relates that alcohol has galactogenic properties that facilitate milk let-down and rectify milk insufficiency as well as sedative properties that alleviate and calm the fussy infant.

Furthermore, exposure to alcohol in mothers milk disrupted the infants sleep-wake pattern and motor development in ways that are contrary to the folklore. Based on these scientific studies, it would seem that the recommendation for a nursing mother to drink a glass of beer or wine shortly before nursing may actually be counterproductive, even though the mother may be more relaxed after a drink.

; HUNGUND, B.L. ; ZHENG, Z.H. ; JEN, K.L. ; AND SUBRAMANIAN, M.G. Ethanol and lactation: Effects of milk lipids and serum constituents. Alcohol 18: 43 48, 1999. HUNT, P.S. ; KRAEBEL, K.S. ; RABINE, H. ; SPEAR, L.P. ; AND SPEAR, N.E. Enhanced ethanol intake in preweanling rats following exposure to ethanol in a nursing context.

Maternal use of alcohol and breast-fed infants. New England Journal of Medicine 322: 339, 1990. LITTLE, R.E. ; LAMBERT, M.D. ; AND WORTHINGTON ROBERTS, B. Drinking and smoking at 3 months postpartum by lactation history. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 4: 290 302, 1989. LITTLE, R.E. ; ANDERSON, K.W.

Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 8: 723 726, 1978. MENNELLA, J.A. The human infant s suckling responses to the flavor of alcohol in mother s milk. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 21: 581 585, 1997. MENNELLA, J.A. The transfer of alcohol to human milk: Sensory implications and effects on mother-infant interaction.

New England Journal of Medicine 325: 981 985, 1991.
MENNELLA, J.A.
AND BEAUCHAMP, G.K.
Beer, breast feeding and folklore.
Developmental Psycho-biology 26: 459 466, 1993.
MENNELLA, J.A.
AND BEAUCHAMP, G.K.
The infant’ s response to scented toys: Effects of expo-sure.
Chemical Senses 23: 11 17, 1998.
MENNELLA, J.A.

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 24: 428 437, 2000. MULDER, E.J.H. ; MORSSINK, L.P. ; VAN DER SCHEE, T. ; AND VISSER, G.H.A. Acute maternal alcohol consumption disrupts behavioral state organization in the near-term fetus, Pediatric Research 44: 774 779, 1998. NOLL, R.B. ; ZUCKER, R.A. ; AND GREENBERG, G.S.

SUBRAMANIAN, M.G., AND ABEL, E.L. Alcohol inhibits suckling-induced prolactin release and milk yield. Alcohol 5: 95 98, 1988. SWIATEK; K.R. ; DOMBROWSKI JR., G.J. ; AND CHAO, K. -L. The inefficient transfer of maternally fed alcohol to nursing rats. Alcohol 3: 169 174, 1986. VILAR ó, S. ; VIÑAS, O. ; REMESAR, X.

ALCOHOL ALERT

Alcohol’ s Effect on Lactation

Can you drink alcohol after milk?

We are not party poopers, so we won’t say don’t drink. But we are going to give you a few tips to make sure you have fun this New Year ‘s night without waking up with the worst hangover the day after. Who hasn’t gone out and had a little too much liquid cheer? We are all familiar with what happens when you are out drinking and having fun all night and end up with agony the next morning.

Experts say that preventing a hangover is better than trying to find a cure for it, thus we share some ways you can prevent a hangover — before and during your party and if you haven’t followed any of these, then we share ways to cure a hangover.
Before the party There are some things you can do to help lessen the effects of getting a hangover.

Eat a hearty meal before you go out drinking. Fatty foods: “Before you go out drinking, it is always safe to consume greasy foods with lots of cheese and butter which acts like an inner lining and helps absorb alcohol,” says physician Dr Vijay Punjabi.

The oils will coat your stomach lining and will slow down the absorption of alcohol.
This can help prevent the severity of a hangover.
Burnt toast: Having a partially burnt toast before drinking can help you avert a hangover.
Carbon acts like a filter in the body which in turn helps absorb alcohol.
Drink milk: Having a glass of milk before you start drinking lines your stomach and slows the amount of alcohol absorbed.

This will help your digestive system to cope with alcohol. Acetaldehyde is a toxic chemical that alcohol is converted to in the body and is one of the prime causes of a hangover. Vitamins and anti-oxidants: A couple of multi-vitamins and anti-oxidants before drinking can help prevent a hangover.

During the party Everyone loves to enjoy their drink without worrying about the next day hangover. If you haven’t followed the before-a-party trick, need not panic. You can still prevent a hangover while you are drinking. Drink slowly: Go slow with your drinks. Try and consume no more than one drink per hour to prevent a hangover the following day.

Stay hydrated: Drinking a glass of juice or water in between your drinks for every glass of alcohol consumed will cut down the risk of having a severe hangover. Dr Mukesh Budhwani, says, “Note that hangovers usually occur when your body gets dehydrated.

Thus, keep alternating a glass of water between your drinks.” Keep it light: Having a hangover hugely depends on the type of alcohol you are consuming. Dark-colored drinks like dark rum, red wine and bourbon are the worst options since they contain congeners that contribute to hangovers as compared to light-colored drinks like vodka, white wine and gin.

Avoid caffeine mixtured cocktails: Avoid having cocktails which are mixed with caffeine. It dehydrates your system and adds to the feelings of nausea and woolly head all of which will make your hangover seem worse. After the party If you are amongst those who have missed out on before-a-party and during-a-party prevention, we suggest all you can do to cure your hangover.

Sleep: An easy way to cure a hangover is to sleep. Drink a glass of juice, put a cold washcloth on your forehead, eliminate noises such as TV, music player, keep the room dark and just sleep. If you wake up in between, take a vitamin pill and go back to sleep again. Keep drinking liquids: Every time you wake up, keep drinking water to keep your body hydrated, since hydration is one of the main causes of a hangover.

Dr Punjabi adds, “The best way to cure a hangover is to be on a liquid diet the next day. Keep sipping on coconut water, fresh lime water or normal water throughout the day.” Replace lost salts: Rehydration sachets which are used to treat diarrhoea speeds recovery from a hangover.

It is because the salt sachets contain small amounts of body salts that replace lost fluids from your body much quicker than water.
Mix one sachet before going to bed and do the same after you wake up the next morning.
Drink coffee: Coffee relieves the feeling of fatigue associated with a hangover and helps alleviate the headache symptoms.

Painkillers: Aspirin or ibuprofen reduces hangover headache and muscle pain. Be careful when you are taking these pills cause they tend to dehydrate you and does not help in the long run. Take either of them in the morning. Eggs: Dr Budhwani says, “Egg helps get rid of hangover the next morning.” Have an omelette or boiled egg the next morning.

Eggs contain cysteine which helps break down the acetaldehyde (alcohol) content in the body after a binge drinking session. Have potassium rich fruits: Eating fruits which are rich in potassium like bananas can replenish the potassium and lost salts from your body. Sport drinks are good sources of potassium too.

“Include fruits which are rich in vitamin C like oranges,” adds Dr Budhwani.

Gaspar Aparicio