Effect of a Flaxseed-Enriched Beverage on Breast Milk Composition

A team of researchers from Zamorano University's Agroindustry Department, with support from Institute for Technology in Health Care (ITHC), studied a flaxseed-enriched horchata-style beverage that the same group had developed earlier. They wanted to know whether drinking it changes the fatty acids in the breast milk of women in the Honduran highlands. The study followed breastfeeding mothers from rural communities who drank the beverage every day for 30 days.

Overall levels of essential fatty acids in breast milk did not change significantly. However, omega-3 levels tended to rise. Omega-3 is a type of fat linked to the baby's brain and eye development. The researchers also found more butyrate, a compound linked to digestive and immune health for both mother and baby. This increase may come from the fiber in the beverage.

These findings suggest that foods based on traditional, familiar products like horchata could slowly improve breast milk nutrition. This matters most in rural communities where other sources of essential fatty acids are hard to get. The study was published in Revista Chilena de Nutricióncarried out by Eng. Camila Solórzano, Dr. Adriana Hernández-Santana, Dr. Luis Maldonado, and Eng. Jaime Zelaya.