Breast Milk Composition: Interindividual Variations and Dietary Factors in Galicia

March 24, 2020 updated by: PATRICIA REGAL, University of Santiago de Compostela

Human milk is not a uniform body fluid, but quite the opposite, its composition changes continuously adapting to the requirements of the newborn. It can be considered as the gold standard for infants' nutrition and exclusive breastfeeding is recommended by the WHO during the first months of life. Additionally, its composition should be used as reference or guidance for defining optimal nutrient intakes for infants that cannot be fully breastfed. In that connection, the nutritional status and dietary habits/patterns of the mother, along with certain genetic traits, exert also influence over breast milk. Considering all these facts, and their great impact on (present and future) infant health, detailed information of breast milk composition is required for specific populations, covering as many factors, elements and nutrients as possible.

In the present observational study, research is focused on breast milk in northwestern Spain, more precisely Galicia. In this context, the obtained data will serve to define the nutritional characteristics of breast milk from Galician women (interindividual variation), while at the same time evaluating the existence of specific features related to their particular diet (dietary factors), the Southern European Atlantic Diet (SEAD). All the variables measured in this research project will be related with breast milk composition. Expected primary outcomes can be divided as follows: fatty acid profiles, mineral composition, essential amino acid profiles, microbiota and steroid hormones. The key influencing factors taken into account are: lactation characteristics and maternal diet.

Recruitment of participants is based on all the following criteria, with no exceptions: female, living in Galicia, lactating, > 18 years old, volunteer participation, written informed consent and agreement to complete questionnaires about lactation, diet and other socio-demographic factors. Samples are collected by participants, and stored at the University of Santiago de Compostela under a coded system so that it is impossible to identify the donor from whom the sample comes, with the exception of the investigators. The project is adhered to the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. Participants are allowed to withdraw their consent at any moment of the study.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

102

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Lactating/nursing women living in northwestern Spain (Galicia)

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • female
  • lactating
  • living in Galicia
  • voluntary participation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • none

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Lactating mothers
Lactating mothers recruited in Galicia (NW Spain)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fatty acid profile of breast milk in Galicia
Time Frame: 2016
Fatty acid profile of breast milk collected from lactating women in Galicia, at different points postpartum; discussion on diet influence.
2016

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: PATRICIA REGAL, PhD, University of Santiago de Compostela

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 19, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 7, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 7, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

August 10, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 26, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 24, 2020

Last Verified

March 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2016-CL045

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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