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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Western Human Nutrition Research Center » Obesity and Metabolism Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #421960
Research Project: Improving Public Health by Understanding Metabolic and Bio-Behavioral Effects of Following Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Location: Obesity and Metabolism Research

Title: Future applications of human milk reference values for nutrients: A global resource for maternal and child nutrition research

Author
item MOORE, SOPHIE - King'S College
item Allen, Lindsay
item KAC, GILBERTO - Universidade Federal Do Rio De Janeiro

Submitted to: Advances in Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/10/2025
Publication Date: 8/26/2025
Citation: Moore, S.E., Allen, L.H., Kac, G. 2025. Future applications of human milk reference values for nutrients: A global resource for maternal and child nutrition research. Advances in Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100429.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100429

Interpretive Summary: The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life as human milk is considered to be the optimal form of nutrition to support infant health and development. However, where mothers diets are poor, the concentration of many nutrients, and especially vitamins and minerals, in human milk are much lower, impacting infant supply. Understanding when lower values indicate the need to supplement the mother requires reliable Reference Values (RVs) for nutrient concentrations in human milk. The multicenter Maternal Infant and Lactation Quality (MILQ) study was developed to establish these RVs. This article, which concludes a series of seven in this series, discusses the potential uses of these RVs in global maternal and child health research. They include: revising the nutrient intake recommendations for lactating women and infants; evaluating how nutrition interventions affect milk composition; and using them as indicators of maternal and infant nutritional status.

Technical Abstract: The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life because human milk is the optimal form of nutrition to support infant health and development. Human milk provides many nutrient and non-nutrient bioactive compounds to young infants, including micronutrients. In contexts where diets are poor, the concentration of many nutrients, and especially micronutrients, in human milk are much lower, impacting infant supply. However, understanding when lower values indicate the need for interventions and then evaluating the impact of interventions on maternal nutritional status and milk nutrients requires reliable Reference Values (RVs) for nutrient concentrations in human milk. The multicenter Maternal Infant and Lactation Quality (MILQ) study was developed to establish evidence-based RVs for human milk nutrients. The current paper presents and discusses the potential utility of these RVs as an international reference for global maternal and child health research. These include: re-evaluation of the nutrient intake recommendations for lactating women and infants; evaluation of the impact of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions on milk composition; and using them as indicators of maternal and infant nutritional status.