Human Lactation 2: Maternal and Environmental Factors

The International Workshop on human lactation dedicated specifically to the topic of Maternal and Environmental Effects on Lactation repre­ sents the recent progress of research in human lactation. Only four years ago it was clear that we do not yet have sensitive research techniques specifically adapted to the study of human milk. This need was addressed by an NIH convened workshop in 1982, the concensus being that appropriate methods have to be developed for the study of the composition of human milk. The progress in the development of these techniques was the subject of the second workshop on human lactation, dedicated specifically to "Milk Components and Methodologies. " The workshop was held in Colorado in 1984 and resulted in the publication of the first volume in the series of "Human Lactation. " At the Colorado meeting it was readily apparent that considerable progress has been made in the development of sensitive techniques able to quantitate the bioactive components of human milk (enzymes, growth factors, immuno-protective agents) as well as the macro, micro and trace elements. At the Colorado workshop it became clear that these workshops greatly benefit the research of human lactation by enhancing communication and collaboration among the investigators in the field. As a result it was decided to have a future workshop about a year later on the topic of "Maternal-Environmental Effects on Human Lacta­ tion", and I was charged with chairing it.

Breast Feeding in Reality.- Section I Ethnic-Cultural Effects on Human Lactation.- Cross-Cultural Differences in Lactational Performance.- Ethnic Cultural Effect Upon Human Lactation: Introduction to Workshop with Some Comments to Experience Obtained in Scandinavian Countries During the Last Two Centuries.- Maternal Factors Affecting Lactation.- Anthropometry in the Appraisal of Lactation Performance Among Well-Nourished Women.- Ethnic Determinants of Lactation in a Population of Mothers in the United States.- Effects of Vegetarian Diets Upon the Composition of Human Milk.- Cultural and Environmental Influences on the Nutritional Status of Lactating Women and Their Infants in Nepal.- Section II Effect of Duration of Pregnancy and Lactation Upon Composition of Human Milk.- Lactational Performance and Milk Composition in Relation to Duration of Pregnancy and Lactation.- Pattern of Change in Milk Composition During Lactogenesis in Term and Preterm Mothers.- Lipid Composition of Prepartum, Preterm and Term Milk.- Changes in Milk Composition After Six Months of Lactation: The Effects of Duration of Lactation and Gradual Weaning.- Complementation and Weaning Phases of Lactation.- The Effect of Maternal Parity on Lactational Performance in A Rural African Community.- Comparative Prostaglandin Content in Human Milk.- The Relationship of Maternal Factors to Composition and Structure of Caseins.- Thyroid Hormones in Milk.- Effects of Low Maternal Dietary Intake of Calcium, Selenium and Vitamin B-6 Upon Breast Milk Composition in Nepal.- Section III Lactation Performance.- Assessment of Lactation Performance in Women.- Approaches to the Study of Colostrum-The Onset of Lactation.- Regulation of the Rate of Lactose Production.- Feeding of Premature Infant: Methods to Assess Lactation Performance.- Relationship of Maternal Age to Breast Milk Volume and Composition.- Milk Letdown and the Concentration of Fat in Breast Milk.- Maternal Factors in Lactation Failure.- Mammary Gland Anomalies and Lactation Failure.- Section IV Effects of Maternal Nutrition on Human Lactation.- Effects of Maternal Nutrition on Human Lactation.- Effect of Diet on the Lipid Composition of Human Milk.- Human Milk Carnitine.- Effect of Vitamin Supplementation on Vitamin Levels in Human Milk: Vitamin B-6, Vitamin C and Folacin.- Maternal Factors Affecting the Vitamin D Content of Human Milk.- Changes in Milk Concentrations with Duration of Lactation in Relation to Zinc Requirements of Breast Fed Infants.- Effect of Maternal Iron Status on Iron in Human Milk.- Effect of Maternal Selenium Nutrition on Human Milk Content and Form.- Distribution of Selenium in Human Milk.- Section V Drugs and Toxins in Human Milk.- A Comprehensive Assessment of Drugs and Chemical Toxins Excreted in Breast Milk.- Fundamental Kinetics of Drug Excretion in Breast Milk.- Epidemiology of Environmental Chemical Contaminants in Breast Milk.- The Influence of Maternal factors on Drug Levels in Human Milk.- Effect of Oral Contraceptives on Lactation.- Drug Excretion into Human Milk: Answered and Unanswered and Unanswered Questions.- Cellular Pathways in the Movement of Lipophilic Xenobiotics from GI Tract to Breast Milk.- Section VI Host Defense Factors in Human Milk.- Antibodies in Milk Directed Against Specific Enteropathogens.- Pregnancy Associated Hormonal Milleu and Bronchomammary Cell Traffic.- Investigations of the Secretory Immune System in Human Milk Using Monoclonal Antibodies.- Function of Leukocytes in Human Milk.- Effects of Cholera and Poliovirus Immunizations Upon Specific Antibodies in Human Milk.- Potential Effects of Immunization on The Host Defense Systems in Human Milk.- Inhibition of Attachment of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae by Human Milk.- Effects of Ethnicity on Immunologic Components in Human Milk.- Section VII Poster Presentation.- High Performance Liquid Chromatography of Oligosaccharides from Human Milk and Colostrum.- Fat Content and Cis- and Trans-Isomeric Fatty Acids in Mature Human Fore- and Hindmilk.- Bile Salt Stimulated Lipase: The Enzyme is Present in Non Primate Milk.- Total Nitrogen and Non-Protein Nitrogen Balance in Preterm Infants Fed Preterm Human Milk.- Recovery of Vitamin K from Human Milk.- Skim Milk Membranes in Human Milk.- Breastfeeding: Cultural Practices and Variations.- Contributors and Participants.