Chrononutrition and Breast Milk: A Review of Circadian Variation in Breast Milk Nutrient Composition

Chrononutrition and Human Milk

Background

Breastfed infants have a reduced risk of infections and allergies. The study of chrononutrition in human milk seeks to understand the circadian variation of various human milk immune factors.

Methods

Empirical studies on human milk, chrononutrition, and immune factors were searched through PUBMED, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS. Keywords included “chrononutrition,” “breastmilk composition,” “human milk,” “day-night cycles,” “sleep-wake cycles” and the names of various immune factors. After excluding duplicate articles, animal studies, studies looking at other human milk components, studies that did not collect human milk samples over a 24 hour period, and studies that were not in English, eleven studies on the topic remained and ten studies were included in the review. The excluded study had a sample size of two.

Results

This review identified the circadian variation of certain immune factors found in human milk such as antibodies, complement proteins, cytokines, by-products of phagocyte activity, nucleotides, microRNAs, and antioxidants.

Conclusion

The circadian variation observed in some human milk components highlights the unique ability of human milk to vary in composition based on the circadian rhythms of mothers and infants. The limited number of studies makes it difficult to make conclusive recommendations and creates an opportunity for further research in this growing field.

Chrononutrition and Breast Milk: A Review of the Circadian Variation of Hormones Present in Human Milk

Introduction

Breast milk contains a wide range of hormones, nutrients, and bioactive compounds. Chrononutrition looks at the interaction between food, both meal timing and meal composition, and circadian rhythms.

Method

This review is a continuation on series on chrononutrition and breast milk. All human studies published in English were included regardless of location or year of publication.

Results

This review identifies the hormonal circadian variation researched in breast milk to date for melatonin, cortisol, cortisone, leptin, and insulin.

Conclusion

The circadian variation observed in some hormones reinforces the superiority of breast milk over formula milk. Melatonin has been the most studied, but more research for all the hormones is needed due to various gaps in the literature and varying levels of study quality. There is insufficient evidence to make recommendations specifically targeting the lactating mother, but we identify and recommend several ideas for future research.