Certain fatty acids may improve breast milk health benefits

Eating foods enriched with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may increase CLA levels in breast milk, which may confer health benefits to babies, according to Nutrition Research.

For the study, seven nursing mothers ate cookies made with CLA-enriched butter or regular butter. Investigators found that CLA levels in breast milk were significantly higher in mothers who ate the CLA-enriched cookies compared to mothers who did not.

In addition, levels of CLA in breast milk were highest between 8 and 28 hours after the mothers at the CLA-enriched cookies.

Possible infant health benefits associated with CLA include reduction in heart disease risk, as well as anticancer and antioxidant effects.