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 07 September 2008 03:10 BST

Flavoured breast milk uncovered

Thursday, 24 Jul 2008 12:52
Guessing what mum had for lunch
Eating a banana an hour before breastfeeding creates 'banana-flavoured milk', according to new research.

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen made the discovery after testing the impact of various flavours on the milk of breastfeeding mothers.

A report on the study published in the New Scientist says how much flavour is transferred varies between mothers.

The Danish researchers gave 18 lactating women capsules containing the same compounds that give caraway seed, menthol, banana and liquorice their flavour.

Samples of milk were given by the women before they ate them and at regular intervals afterwards.

While concentrations of the caraway and liquorice compounds peaked two hours after the mother ate them, the banana compound could only be detected in the milk during the first hour after consumption.

Menthol was present at relatively stable levels for between two and eight hours after consumption.

All four flavours disappeared from the mother's milk eight hours after eating the capsules.

Preliminary results from the Copenhagen study also suggest that breastfed infants might be more receptive to new flavours than bottle-fed ones.

"It's not like if the mother eats apple pie the baby thinks 'mmmm,apple pie', but it may make them more accepting of the flavour of other foods," researcher Helene Hausner told the New Scientist.

"Breastfeeding may prepare the infant for flavour changes and new experiences when they start to eat solid foods."
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