Milk fat globule membrane in infant nutrition: a dairy industry perspective.

This review provides an overview of the composition, structure, and biological activities of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) compounds with focus on the future application of this compound as a food ingredient. MFGM is a particular component of mammalian milks and is comprised of a tri-layer of polar lipids, glycolipids and proteins. In recent years, MFGM has been extensively studied for the purpose of enhancing the efficacy of infant nutrition formula. For example, infant formulas supplemented with bovine MFGM have shown promising results with regard to neurodevelopment and defense against infections. Components of MFGM have been shown to present several health benefits as the proteins of the membrane have shown antiviral activity and a reduction in the incidence of diarrhea. Moreover, the presence of sphingomyelin, a phospholipid, implies beneficial effects on human health such as enhanced neuronal development in infants and the protection of neonates from bacterial infections. The development of a lipid that is similar to human milk fat would represent a significant advance for the infant formula industry and would offer high technology formulas for those infants that depend on infant formula. The complexity of the structure of MFGM and its nutritional and technological properties is critically examined in this review with a focus on issues relevant to the dairy industry.

The Effect of an Exercise Intervention During Early Lactation on Bone Mineral Density During the First Year Postpartum.

BACKGROUND: During lactation, women may lose up to 10% of bone mineral density (BMD) at trabecular-rich sites. Previous studies show that resistance exercise may slow BMD; however, the long-term effects of exercise on BMD during lactation have not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of two 16-week exercise interventions (4- to 20-wk postpartum) in lactating women at 1-year postpartum on lumbar spine, total body, and hip BMD. METHODS: To increase sample size at 1-year postpartum, two 16-week exercise interventions were combined for analysis. At 4-week postpartum, 55 women were randomized to intervention group (weight bearing aerobic exercise and resistance exercise) or control group (no exercise) for 16-week, with a 1-year postpartum follow-up. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance was used to test for time and group differences for BMD controlling for prolactin concentration and dietary calcium at 1-year postpartum. RESULTS: Change in lumbar spine BMD was significantly different over time and between groups from 4-week to 1-year postpartum, when controlling for prolactin concentration and dietary calcium. There were no significant differences between groups in total body and hip BMD. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that resistance exercise may slow bone loss during lactation, resulting in higher BMD levels at 1-year postpartum.

Military report more complementary and alternative medicine use than civilians.

OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to estimate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among active duty military and compare data with civilian use. DESIGN: A global survey on CAM use in the 12 previous months was conducted. Final participants (16,146) were stratified by gender, service, region, and pay grade. Analysis included prevalence of CAM use, demographic and lifestyle characteristics. RESULTS: Approximately 45% of respondents reported using at least one type of CAM therapy. Most commonly used therapies were as follows: prayer for one's own health (24.4%), massage therapy (14.1%), and relaxation techniques (10.8%). After exclusion of prayer for one's own health, adjusting to the 2000 U.S. census, overall CAM use in the military (44.5%) was higher than that in comparable civilian surveys (36.0% and 38.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Military personnel reported using three CAM stress-reduction therapies at 2.5-7 times the rate of civilians. Among the military, high utilization of CAM practices that reduce stress may serve as markers for practitioners assessing an individual's health and well-being.

Use of MyPyramid Menu Planner for Moms in a weight-loss intervention during lactation.

The Internet offers a valuable resource for promotion of healthy eating and Web-based communication between the dietetics practitioner and client. In a 16-week intervention examining the effects of energy restriction (500 kcal/day) and exercise on body composition in overweight/obese lactating women, MyPyramid Menu Planner for Moms was used to support dietary counseling. Random assignment occurred at 4 weeks postpartum to either an Intervention group (n=14) or Minimal Care group (n=13) from 2008 through 2010. Three 24-hour dietary recalls were obtained using the Nutrition Data System at 4 and 20 weeks postpartum. Individual MyPyramid Menu Planner accounts were created for the Intervention group and used in face-to-face dietary counseling. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test for differences between groups for change in dietary intake and weight. Changes in energy, saturated fat, and percent of energy from added sugars were significantly different between Intervention group and Minimal Care group (-613 [521] kcal vs -171 [435] kcal; P=0.03; -14.9 [14.0] g vs +0.9 [13.4] g; P<0.01; and -3.5% [5.3%] vs +2.2% [4.8%]; P<0.01, respectively). The Intervention group significantly increased their whole fruit servings and decreased their total grain and milk servings compared with the Minimal Care group (P<0.05). The Intervention group lost significantly more weight (-5.8 [3.5] kg) than the Minimal Care group (-1.6 [5.4] kg) (P=0.03). Although participants must have access to an Internet-based computer and possess basic food knowledge, these results suggest MyPyramid Menu Planner might prove to be an effective dietary counseling support tool for improving dietary intake and promoting weight loss during lactation.

Effects of energy restriction and exercise on bone mineral density during lactation.

UNLABELLED: Modest energy restriction combined with resistance training (RT) has been shown in nonlactating women to protect bone during periods of weight loss. However, there is a paucity of research on dietary interventions and exercise in lactating women aimed at promoting bone health and weight loss. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of energy restriction and exercise on bone mineral density (BMD) and hormones during lactation. METHODS: At 4 wk postpartum, participants were randomized to either a 16-wk intervention (diet restricted by 500 kcal and RT 3 d·wk) group (IG = 14) or minimal care group (CG = 13). Measurements included BMD by DXA, three 24-h dietary recalls, and hormones. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to test for group differences over time. RESULTS: Energy intake decreased more in IG (613 ± 521 kcal) than CG (171 ± 435 kcal) (P = 0.03). IG lost more weight (5.8 ± 3.5 kg vs CG = 1.6 ± 5.4 kg, P = 0.02). BMD decreased over time, P < 0.01, with no group differences in lumbar spine (IG = 3.4% ± 2.5%, CG = 3.7% ± 3.3%) or hip (IG and CG = 3.1 ± 1.8%). Prolactin and estradiol decreased over time in both groups, P < 0.01. Basal growth hormone remained stable; however, there was a significant increase in growth hormone response to exercise in IG. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that moderate energy restriction combined with RT promotes weight loss with no adverse effects on BMD during lactation.

Effect of exercise training on loss of bone mineral density during lactation.

PURPOSE: During lactation, women transfer approximately 200 mg of calcium per day to breast milk. For 6 months, this is equivalent to 3%-9% of bone mineral density (BMD) loss at trabecular-rich sites. Bone mass usually returns to prepregnancy levels with cessation of lactation but not in all women. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise slows bone loss from 4 to 20 wk postpartum (PP). METHODS: At 4 wk PP, women were randomized to either an exercise group [EG, n = 10, weight bearing aerobic exercise (3 d·wk(-1), 45 min·d(-1)) and 3 d·wk(-1) of resistance exercise] or a control group (CG, n = 10, no exercise) for 16 wk. Body composition and BMD were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine (LS), hip, and total body. Maximal strength and predicted maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) were determined by 1-repetition maximum and submaximal treadmill test, respectively. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to test for time and time by group differences. RESULTS: EG lost significantly less LS BMD than CG (-4.8 ± 0.6% vs -7.0 ± 0.3%, P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in total body and hip BMD. Both groups lost fat mass (EG = -2.9 ± 0.7 kg, CG = -1.8 ± 0.4 kg); however, EG lost less lean body mass (-0.7 ± 0.3 vs -1.6 ± 0.3 kg, P = 0.05). Maximal strength increased by 34% to 221% for all exercises in EG, whereas CG changed -5.7% to 12%. Predicted VO2max increased in both groups (EG = 11.4 ± 2.0, CG = 6.9 ± 1.7%). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that resistance and aerobic exercise may slow bone loss during lactation.