The Mothers, Infants, and Lactation Quality (MILQ) Study: A Multi-Center Collaboration.
Lindsay H Allen, Daniela Hampel, Setareh Shahab-Ferdows, Maria Andersson, Erica Barros, Andrew M Doel, Kamilla Gehrt Eriksen, Sophie Hilario Christensen, Munirul Islam, Gilberto Kac, Farhana Khanam Keya, Kim F Michaelsen, Daniela de Barros Mucci, Fanta Njie, Janet M Peerson, Sophie E Moore
Author Information
Lindsay H Allen: USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, CA, USA. ORCID
Daniela Hampel: USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, CA, USA.
Setareh Shahab-Ferdows: USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, CA, USA.
Maria Andersson: Nutrition Research Unit, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Erica Barros: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Andrew M Doel: King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Kamilla Gehrt Eriksen: Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sophie Hilario Christensen: Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Munirul Islam: Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Gilberto Kac: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ORCID
Farhana Khanam Keya: Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Kim F Michaelsen: Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Daniela de Barros Mucci: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Fanta Njie: Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia, West Africa.
Janet M Peerson: USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, CA, USA.
Sophie E Moore: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Little valid information is available on human milk nutrient concentrations, especially for micronutrients (MNs), and there are no valid reference values (RVs) across lactation. In this multi-center collaborative study, RVs will be established for human milk nutrients across the first 8.5 mo postpartum. Well-nourished, unsupplemented women in Bangladesh, Brazil, Denmark, and The Gambia ( = 250/site) were recruited during the third trimester of pregnancy. Milk, blood, saliva, urine, and stool samples from mothers and their infants are collected identically at 3 visits (1-3.49, 3.5-5.99, 6.0-8.49 mo postpartum). Milk analyses include macronutrients, selected vitamins, trace elements and minerals, iodine, metabolomics, amino acids, human milk oligosaccharides, and bioactive peptides. We measure milk volume; maternal and infant diets, anthropometry, and morbidity; infant development, maternal genome, and the infant and maternal microbiome. RVs will be constructed based on methods for the WHO Child Growth Standards and the Intergrowth-21st Project. This trial was registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT03254329.
