Effects of Breastfeeding on Maternal Body Composition in Moroccan Lactating Women during Twelve Months after Birth Using Stable Isotopic Dilution Technique.

BACKGROUND: Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of an infant's life is an important factor for their optimal growth and health. Breastfeeding also has maternal benefits and can assist with postpartum weight loss. As shown by previous studies, postpartum weight retention can contribute to obesity. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the human milk and evaluate the effect of breastfeeding on maternal weight loss during the 12 months postpartum. METHOD: This study included 70-mother-baby pairs. Infants' intake of human milk and water from other sources, as well as the body composition of the mothers, were measured at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th month postpartum by using the deuterium oxide dose-to-mother technique. RESULTS: There was a significant change in the mothers' body composition between the first and twelfth months in exclusive breastfeeding women compared to not-exclusive ones. Similarly, the difference between the quantities of human milk intake was highly significant in exclusive breastfeeding women compared to women who were not exclusively breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that exclusive breastfeeding for twelve months has a significant effect on postpartum weight loss among Moroccan women and that it is an effective way to control overweight and obesity among lactating women.

Effect of multiple micronutrient fortified milk consumption on vitamin D status among school-aged children in rural region of Morocco.

Vitamin D deficiency is a health problem in both developed and developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of multi-vitamin fortified milk consumption on vitamin D status among children living in the mountainous region of Morocco. Children aged 7 to 9 years (n = 239; 49% of girls vs 51% of boys) participated in a double-blind longitudinal study, where they were divided in 2 groups: a fortified group that received daily 200 mL of fortified ultra-high-temperature (UHT) milk enriched with 3 µg of vitamin D3 and a nonfortified group that received 200 mL of nonfortified UHT milk with a natural abundance of vitamin D3 (about 1.5 µg). Blood samples were collected 3 times (at baseline, then at the fourth and ninth months). The average weight, height, and z score of body mass index for age of participants were 22.8 ± 2.6 kg, 121.5 ± 5.2 cm, and -0.2 ± 0.6 kg/m2, respectively. At baseline, 47.5% of children had a concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D below 50 nmol/L. At the end of the study the prevalence of vitamin D <50 nmol/L decreased significantly by 37.6% in the fortified group. These results reveal prevalent vitamin D insufficiency (<50 nmol/L) during winter among rural Moroccan school-aged children, which seems to be better improved by consuming the fortified milk instead of the nonfortified one.