Do you have any tips for a breastfeeding mom with low energy?

Breastfeeding demands more calories and higher intakes of essential nutrients. Add the stress and demands of motherhood, and you can easily drain your energy level if you don’t properly nourish your body. Here are my four essentials to ensure optimal nutrition and energy for both you and your baby: Consume a nutrient rich diet, stay well hydrated, take a daily prenatal multivitamin and regularly consume omega-3 fats. Read on to learn more about these healthy habits for breastfeeding moms.

Eat more nutrient-dense foods

An extra 500 calories per day is important for ensuring both mother and baby receive the nutrition they need daily. Lactating mothers should focus on consuming nutrient dense foods at all meals and snacks to prevent nutrient deficiencies and fatigue. Some of the most important foods for lactating mothers include: eggs, whole grain breads and cereals, low fat dairy products, fortified soy milk, cheese, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, fish (at least once a week), and leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, red leaf lettuce, etc).

Drink plenty of water

Water is essential for breast milk production, so a lactating woman can become easily dehydrated if she doesn’t consume enough water each day. Even a small percentage of dehydration can lead to fatigue, so be sure keep a water bottle handy at all times. Also, avoid caffeinated drinks, which increase water loss from the body through excessive urination. Experts recommend lactating women consume about one gallon (16 cups) of total water per day. Total water includes both beverages and high-moisture foods such as fruits, vegetables, soups and meats. With the moisture in foods typically accounting for about 20% of your daily water intake, you should aim to drink about 12 cups of non-caffeinated beverages, including water, daily.¹

Take a prenatal multivitamin

Lactating women are highly encouraged to continue their prenatal multivitamin because it contains important nutrients for mother and baby. A multivitamin is important for filling the nutrient gaps that may occur when eating for two.^†

Iron deficiency is common among childbearing women, particularly during pregnancy and lactation. The most common symptom of iron deficiency is fatigue. Although prenatal vitamins usually contain iron, some women may need an extra iron supplement if their physician determines they are iron deficient.

Eat DHA-rich foods or supplement

The omega-3 fat, DHA, is critical for brain and eye development of the fetus. Interestingly, recent studies have linked supplementation with DHA by breastfeeding mothers to improvements in cognitive and psychomotor skills during childhood.^2,3 Although more research is needed to conclusively determine the benefits that DHA supplementation may offer to breastfed children, many women don’t consume enough DHA rich foods, such as fish; therefore, a DHA supplement is an easy way to increase their daily intake. Experts on lipid nutrition recommend lactating women consume 300 mg of DHA per day,⁴ which is over four times the typical intake for women living in the United States.^{5 †}

 

References

1. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes: Electrolytes and Water. Available at: http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/20/004/0.pdf .
2. Jensen CL, Voigt RG, Prager TC, et al. Effects of maternal docosahexaenoic acid intake on visual function and neurodevelopment in breastfed term infants. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;82:125-132. PMID: 16002810
3. Helland IB, Smith L, Saarem K, et al. Maternal supplementation with very-long-chain n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation augments children's IQ at 4 years of age. Pediatrics. 2003;111:e39-44. PMID: 12509593
4. Simopoulos AP, Leaf A, Salem N Jr. Workshop on the essentiality of and recommended dietary intakes for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Available at: http://www.issfal.org.uk/adequateintakes.htm .
5. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). Available at: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309085373/html/478.html .

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Is selenium important for breast health?

Although it’s still too early to routinely recommend selenium supplements to every woman concerned about breast health, emerging research suggests that selenium functions in a variety of ways that help support cellular health, including the health of breast cells. Here’s the scoop on this essential mineral.

Selenium is an antioxidant

Selenium is essential for the function of several enzymes in the body that help prevent cellular damage from free radicals.1 Free radicals occur as a result of normal metabolic processes; exposure to cigarette smoke, environmental pollution and sunlight; eating fried foods; and even exercise, and cause oxidative damage to cellular DNA, protein, carbohydrates and lipids, which, if left unchecked, can negatively affect health.2†

Selenium is essential for immune function

Selenium supplementation in animals and humans positively influences a variety of immune cell components such as natural killer cell activity, T cell proliferation, interferon gamma and lymphokine-activated killer cell activity.3,4,5 These immune cells protect the body against foreign invaders and ensure growing and developing cells stay healthy.†

Selenium is linked to better breast health

Preliminary research has found that women with adequate blood levels of selenium have better breast health compared to women with low levels of selenium.6,7,8 What’s more, scientists have discovered that women who carry a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which affects healthy breast cell growth, may benefit from selenium. In fact, researchers report that women with the BRCA1 gene who were given 276 mcg of selenium per day for 3 months experienced better cell growth regulation in breast tissue.9 Experimental research confirms the role of selenium in regulating cellular growth in tissues such as the breast, prostate and others.10†

Selenium supports detoxification

Researchers have found that selenium can optimize detoxification processes that are involved in increasing the excretion and/or reducing the production of harmful chemicals that can occur during normal metabolism.10 Natrol offers a clinically tested form of selenium in Natrol® SelenoExcell® Max, which is the form currently being studied in a variety of health related studies.11†

References

1. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary supplement fact sheet: selenium. Available at: www.ods.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp. Accessed on October 8, 2008.

2. Holben DH, Smith AM. The diverse role of selenium within selenoproteins: a review. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999;99(7):836-843. PMID: 10405682

3. Kiremidjian-Schumacher L, Roy M, Wishe HI, et al. Supplementation with selenium and human immune cell functions. II. Effect on cytotoxic lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Biol Trace Elem Res. 1994;41(1-2):115-127. PMID: 7946899

4. Broome CS, McArdle F, Kyle JA, et al. An increase in selenium intake improves immune function and poliovirus handling in adults with marginal selenium status. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80(1):154-162. PMID: 15213043

5. Arthur JR, McKenzie RC, Beckett GJ. Selenium in the immune system. J Nutr. 2003;133(5): 1457S-1459S. PMID: 12730442

6. Charalabopoulos K, Kotsalos A, Batistatou A, et al. Selenium in serum and neoplastic tissue in breast cancer: correlation with CEA. Br J Cancer. 2006;95(6):674-676. PMID: 16880784

7. Lokman R, Hasni J, Hassim I. Serum selenium level and other risk factors for breast cancer among patients in a malaysian hospital. Environ Health Prev Med. 2007;12(3):105-110.

8. Lopez-Saez JB, Senra-Varela A, Pousa-Estevez L. Selenium in breast cancer. Oncology. 2003;64(3):227-231. PMID: 12697962

9. Kowalska E, Narod SA, Huzarski T, et al. Increased rates of chromosome breakage in BRCA1 carriers are normalized by oral selenium supplementation. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. 2005;14(5):1302-1306. PMID: 15894690

10. El-Bayoumy K, Sinha R. Molecular chemoprevention by selenium: a genomic approach. Mutat Res. 2005;591(1-2):224-236. PMID: 16099479

11. Cypress System Inc. Seleno Excell Research. Available at: http://www.cypsystems.com/research/seleno.html. Accessed on September 27, 2006.

SelenoExcell® is a registered trademark of Cypress Systems, Inc.

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.