Effects of Heat Stress on Maternal Lactation Performance and Infant Growth and Potential Mitigation

Santu Ghosh of the St John's Research Institute in India will explore the effects of heat stress on lactation and infant growth, including their potential mitigation by a nutritional supplement for breastfeeding mothers in India. They will enroll two cohorts of 65 women in the state of Tamal Nadu, comparing data for breastfeeding in the summer versus the winter. They will measure breast milk quantity and quality, an oxidative stress marker in maternal blood, iron nutritional status in mother and infant, and infant growth. To test the hypothesis that heat stress causes harm via oxidative stress in mothers, they will assess the potential benefit of giving a subset of the breastfeeding mothers an omega 3-fatty acid nutritional supplement as an antioxidant. The results could guide simple strategies based on diet or nutritional supplementation to mitigate the effects of heat stress on the health of pregnant and lactating women.