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UC San Diego Health recognized as top maternity hospital

UC San Diego Health is recognized as a 2023-2024 High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care, which is the highest award a hospital can earn by U.S. News & World Report for obstetric and infant care.

5 Dec 2023

Researchers explore the optimal timing, dosage of B-12 supplements during pregnancy and lactation

Babies and children need vitamins, including vitamin B-12, to help their brains and bodies develop and grow.

1 Dec 2023

Study exposes tobacco smoke's alarming impact on breast milk, elevating toxic elements

Study reveals that both active and passive tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy or lactation significantly increases the levels of toxic micro-elements like mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic in breast milk, posing serious health risks to infants.

27 Nov 2023

Study shows mother's milk proteins and carbs crucial for infant growth, fat less so

Systematic review examines the impact of human milk macronutrients on infant growth, revealing that digestible carbohydrates increase infant weight and milk proteins correlate with increased infant length, while milk fat shows no consistent relationship with growth outcomes.

20 Nov 2023

New physical mechanism uncovered for breast cancer invasion

The majority of breast cancers start in the lining of a breast milk duct and, if they remain there, are very treatable.

13 Nov 2023

Clinical trial underway for novel human milk-based microbiome therapy

In a breakthrough for human milk science, researchers at City of Hope, Los Angeles, have dosed the first patient in a Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating a novel therapy for blood cancer patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

10 Nov 2023

Can your diet soda habit affect your baby? New study explores low-calorie sweeteners in breastmilk

U.S. scientists are studying if low-calorie sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame-potassium can be transferred from mothers to infants through breastfeeding. This first-of-its-kind pharmacokinetic model aims to understand the health implications of early-life exposure to these sweeteners.

26 Oct 2023

Plant microorganisms from fruit and vegetables boost gut diversity

Bacterial diversity in the gut plays an important role in human health. The crucial question, however, is where are the sources of this diversity? It is known that an important part of the maternal microbiome is transferred to the baby at birth, and the same happens during the breastfeeding period via breast milk.

24 Oct 2023

Breast milk microbiome changes after COVID-19 vaccination, linked to enhanced infant protection

Study explored the association between BNT162b2 vaccine-induced antibodies and the breast milk microbiome in 49 breastfeeding mothers, revealing that post-vaccination alterations in the microbiome were linked to humoral protection against SARS-CoV-2.

9 Oct 2023

Breastfeeding policies may come at a steep cost for mothers

Breast is best, or so the campaign launched by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

4 Oct 2023

Could breastfeeding and delaying soda be the keys to lower childhood obesity rates?

New research presented at the EASD Annual Meeting suggests that breastfeeding for at least six months and delaying the introduction of soda until after 18 months can lead to lower body fat percentages in children at age nine. The study highlights the long-term impact of infant feeding choices on childhood obesity risk.

1 Oct 2023

Early feeding practices key to shaping lifelong oral microbiome

Research delves into the little-explored world of the infant oral microbiome, examining how early nutrition and environmental factors shape it. With implications for lifelong health, the research aims to guide future health recommendations, emphasizing the need for more longitudinal studies and advanced sequencing techniques.

26 Sep 2023

Study uncovers how a newborn's cry triggers breast milk release in mothers

Hearing the sound of a newborn's wail can trigger the release of oxytocin, a brain chemical that controls breast milk release in mothers, a new study in rodents shows.

20 Sep 2023

Can your baby's gut bacteria predict food allergies?

Researchers in Italy delve into how changes in gut microbiota during the first 1000 days of life can influence the onset of food allergies in children. The study sheds light on various factors such as birth methods, breastfeeding, and antibiotic use that impact gut health, highlighting the need for more research on effective interventions for allergy prevention.

18 Sep 2023

Breast milk proteins linked to abundance of beneficial bacteria in infants

More than 320 million years of mammalian evolution has adapted breast milk to meet all the physiological needs of babies: it contains not only nutrients, but also hormones, antimicrobials, digestive enzymes, and growth factors.

15 Sep 2023

Broad-spectrum antibiotics linked to higher sepsis risk in neonates

A preprint presents evidence for the hypothesis that neonatal sepsis is linked to prenatal antibiotics.

7 Sep 2023

MFGM supplement in infant formula linked to long-term cognitive benefits

Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most beneficial nutrition for infants, but many families face medical or logistical challenges in breastfeeding. In the U.S., just 45% of infants continue to be exclusively breastfed at 3 months of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

31 Aug 2023