The Interrelationship between Stress, Sugar Consumption and Depression.

Depression is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Previous research has shown that added sugar consumption and stress are both risk factors for depression. Despite evidence that stress predicts added sugar consumption, and both affect the HPA axis, no research has explored how stress, added sugar consumption and depression are related.

Impact of FADS genotype on polyunsaturated fatty acid content in human milk extracellular vesicles: A genetic association study.

Background: Extracellular vesicles in human milk are critical in supporting newborn growth and development. Bioavailability of dietary extracellular vesicles may depend on the composition of membrane lipids. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the fatty acid desaturase gene cluster impact the content of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human milk phospholipids.

Temporal relation between pubertal development and peer victimization in a prospective sample of US adolescents.

Peer victimization typically peaks in early adolescence, leading researchers to hypothesize that pubertal timing is a meaningful predictor of peer victimization. However, previous methodological approaches have limited our ability to parse out which puberty cues are associated with peer victimization because gonadal and adrenal puberty, two independent processes, have either been conflated or adrenal puberty timing has been ignored. In addition, previous research has overlooked the possibility of reverse causality-that peer victimization might drive pubertal timing, as it has been shown to do in non-human primates.

Randomized controlled trial to prevent postpartum depressive symptomatology: An infant carrier intervention.

Background: There is a need for effective interventions to reduce symptomatology of postpartum depression. The objective of this study was to test whether providing an ergonomic infant carrier would reduce postpartum depression symptomatology.

Methods: A randomized two-arm, parallel-group trial with 100 participants was conducted between February 2018 and June 2019 in a low-income community.

Nutritional factors and cross-national postpartum depression prevalence: an updated meta-analysis and meta-regression of 412 studies from 46 countries.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication associated with childbirth and can lead to adverse outcomes for both mothers and their children. A previous meta-analysis found that PPD prevalence varies widely across countries. One potential underexplored contributor to this cross-national variation in PPD is diet, which contributes to mental health and varies significantly around the world.

Parental factors that impact the ecology of human mammary development, milk secretion, and milk composition-a report from "Breastmilk Ecology: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN)" Working Group 1.

The goal of Working Group 1 in the Breastmilk Ecology: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN) Project was to outline factors influencing biological processes governing human milk secretion and to evaluate our current knowledge of these processes. Many factors regulate mammary gland development in utero, during puberty, in pregnancy, through secretory activation, and at weaning. These factors include breast anatomy, breast vasculature, diet, and the lactating parent's hormonal milieu including estrogen, progesterone, placental lactogen, cortisol, prolactin, and growth hormone.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infant feeding practices in the United States: Food insecurity, supply shortages and deleterious formula-feeding practices.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased food insecurity among US households, however, little is known about how infants, who rely primarily on human milk and/or infant formula, were impacted. We conducted an online survey with US caregivers of infants under 2 years of age (N = 319) to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted breastfeeding, formula-feeding and household ability to obtain infant-feeding supplies and lactation support (68% mothers; 66% White; 8% living in poverty). We found that 31% of families who used infant formula indicated that they experienced various challenges in obtaining infant formula, citing the following top three reasons: the formula was sold out (20%), they had to travel to multiple stores (21%) or formula was too expensive (8%).

Maternal prenatal cortisol trajectories predict accelerated growth in infancy.

Higher maternal cortisol in pregnancy has been linked to childhood obesity. Much of the previous research has been limited in that cortisol in pregnancy is only measured at one time-point, precluding the ability to examine critical timing effects of prenatal maternal cortisol. To fill this gap, this longitudinal study measured maternal plasma cortisol at 15, 19, 25, and 31 weeks of pregnancy, and assessed infant body mass index percentile (BMIP) at birth, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months in 189 mother-infant pairs.

Prenatal antibiotic exposure in pregnancy and early childhood socioemotional development.

Background: Antibiotic exposure in pregnancy is associated with reduced microbiome diversity in the infant gut. Given that recent research has shown that early microbiome health can impact child socioemotional development, we examined the relationship between prenatal antibiotic exposure in pregnancy and childhood socioemotional developmental outcomes using a large, nationally representative longitudinal dataset.

Methods: A sample of 4800 diverse families were assessed from the population cohort of the Growing Up in New Zealand Study (GUiNZ), which prospectively follows children starting in the last trimester of pregnancy into early childhood.

The IgA in milk induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection is comprised of mainly secretory antibody that is neutralizing and highly durable over time.

Approximately 10% of infants infected with SARS-CoV-2 will experience COVID-19 illness requiring advanced care. A potential mechanism to protect this population is passive immunization via the milk of a previously infected person. We and others have reported on the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in human milk.

Mothers are more sensitive to infant cues after breastfeeding compared to bottle-feeding with human milk.

The belief that breastfeeding promotes maternal bonding is widely held by both the public and professional health organizations. Yet to our knowledge, all research examining the link between breastfeeding and maternal behavior in humans has been correlational, limiting our ability to draw causal conclusions. In many mammals, the hormone prolactin, which is central to milk production, rises in response to each breastfeeding session and promotes maternal sensitivity, yet there is a dearth of research in human mothers.

An Infant Carrier Intervention and Breastfeeding Duration: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: Parent-infant skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth increases initiation and duration of bodyfeeding. We hypothesized that providing ergonomic carriers to parents during pregnancy would increase the likelihood of breastfeeding and expressed human milk feeding through the first 6 months of life.

Methods: A randomized two-arm, parallel-group trial was conducted between February 2018 and June 2019 in collaboration with a home-visiting program in a low-income community.

Robust and Specific Secretory IgA Against SARS-CoV-2 Detected in Human Milk.

The SARS-CoV-2 immune response in human milk has not yet been examined, although protecting infants and young children from COVID-19 is critical for limiting community transmission and preventing serious illness and death. Here, milk samples from eight COVID-19-recovered and seven COVID-19-suspected donors were tested for antibody (Ab) binding to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. All samples exhibited significant specific IgA reactivity to the full Spike, whereas 80% exhibited significant IgA and secretory (s)Ab binding to the Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD).

Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition is Associated with Infant Temperament.

There is growing evidence that omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty-acids (PUFAs) are important for the brain development in childhood and are necessary for an optimal health in adults. However, there have been no studies examining how the n-3 PUFA composition of human milk influences infant behavior or temperament. To fill this knowledge gap, 52 breastfeeding mothers provided milk samples at 3 months postpartum and completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R), a widely used parent-report measure of infant temperament.

Oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and father support interact to predict depressive symptoms postpartum.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a debilitating mental illness affecting approximately 13% of mothers after birth. Both genetic and psychosocial factors contribute to PPD risk, but very little is known about how these factors interact. We tested whether the rs53576 polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene accounts for variation in the impact of low social support as a risk factor for depression among mothers during the perinatal period.

Human milk as "chrononutrition": implications for child health and development.

Human biology follows recurring daily rhythms that are governed by circadian cues in the environment. Here we show that human milk is a powerful form of "chrononutrition," formulated to communicate time-of-day information to infants. However, 85% of breastfed infants in the US consume some milk that does not come directly from the breast but is pumped and stored in advance of feeding.

Where is the love? A double-blind, randomized study of the effects of intranasal oxytocin on stress regulation and aggression.

Previous studies reveal that oxytocin (OT) encourages prosocial behavior in humans; however, animal studies and recent work in humans suggest that OT may also play a role in aggressive behavior and feelings. The present study investigated these competing predictions in the context of a competitive task among 85 healthy human participants (males and females). Using a randomized double-blind design, participants were assigned to an experimental (intranasal OT) or control (intranasal placebo) group.

Economic and Health Predictors of National Postpartum Depression Prevalence: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Meta-Regression of 291 Studies from 56 Countries.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) poses a major global public health challenge. PPD is the most common complication associated with childbirth and exerts harmful effects on children. Although hundreds of PPD studies have been published, we lack accurate global or national PPD prevalence estimates and have no clear account of why PPD appears to vary so dramatically between nations.

The dynamics of stress and fatigue across menopause: attractors, coupling, and resilience.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the regulatory dynamics between stress and fatigue experienced by women during the menopausal transition (MT) and early postmenopause (EPM). Fatigue and perceived stress are commonly experienced by women during the MT and EPM. We sought to discover relationships between these symptoms and to employ these symptoms as possible markers for resilience.

Cortisol in human milk predicts child BMI.

Objective: Breastfeeding has been linked to lower rates of childhood obesity. Human milk contains cortisol, known to regulate glucose storage and metabolism. The aim of this study was to to test the hypothesis that early exposure to cortisol in human breast milk helps to modulate infant body mass index (BMI) trajectories over the first 2 years of life.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Breastfeeding.

Objectives: Breastfeeding rates differ among racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Our aim was to test whether racial/ethnic disparities in demographic characteristics, hospital use of infant formula, and family history of breastfeeding mediated racial/ethnic gaps in breastfeeding outcomes.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Community and Child Health Network study (N = 1636).

Biological and psychosocial predictors of postpartum depression: systematic review and call for integration.

Postpartum depression (PPD) adversely affects the health and well being of many new mothers, their infants, and their families. A comprehensive understanding of biopsychosocial precursors to PPD is needed to solidify the current evidence base for best practices in translation. We conducted a systematic review of research published from 2000 through 2013 on biological and psychosocial factors associated with PPD and postpartum depressive symptoms.