UMass Breastmilk Lab

Thank you so much to the thousands of moms who completed our survey about their willingness to donate breastmilk for our research! Your answers will inform our future breast cancer research.

And very special thanks to KellyMom.com, Best for Babes Foundation, The Leaky B@, The Badass Breastfeeder, Breastfeeding USA, and Motherlove Herbal Company for posting our survey and sharing it with their fans! We couldn't have done it without you!

For more information on donating milk for our research visit: http://www.breastmilkresearch.org/donate-breastmilk-for-research/

Donate breastmilk for research | UMass Breastmilk Lab UMass Breastmilk Lab

Donate breastmilk to fight breast cancer!

We are currently looking for nursing moms to donate breastmilk for our breast cancer research. Please spread the word!

*Mothers who have or have had breast cancer.* Participants are nursing mothers living anywhere in the U.S. who have/have had breast cancer and can donate fresh or frozen breastmilk (we provide mailer). For more information about this study, or to participate, call Beth Punska at (413) 545-0813, or email [email protected]

OR

*Mothers who are breastfeeding and expect to have a breast biopsy.* Participants live anywhere in the U.S., and can donate a fresh breastmilk sample (we provide mailer). For more information about this study, or to participate,call Beth Punska at (413) 545-0813, or email [email protected]

A new study of 180 pre-term infants from birth to age seven, found that "babies who were fed more breast milk within the first 28 days of life had had larger volumes of certain regions of the brain at term equivalent and had better IQs, academic achievement, working memory, and motor function."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160729092524.htm

Breastfeeding associated with better brain development, neurocognitive outcomes A new study, which followed 180 pre-term infants from birth to age seven, found that babies who were fed more breast milk within the first 28 days of life had had larger volumes of certain regions of the brain at term equivalent and had better IQs, academic achievement, working memory, and motor fun...

A new study finds that Latino preschoolers who were exclusively breastfed have longer telomeres - protective parts of DNA:

"Infants who are exclusively breastfed early in life are more likely by age 4 or 5 to have longer telomeres, the protective bits of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes in cells. In older adults, shorter telomeres are associated with a greater likelihood of developing conditions of aging, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Telomeres, which are measured in white blood cells, generally become shorter with age, when the cell can no longer regenerate through cell division. But there is evidence that a significant amount of telomere shortening occurs during early childhood."

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/07/403606/early-exclusive-breastfeeding-associated-longer-telomeres-latino-preschoolers

Early Exclusive Breastfeeding Associated with Longer Telomeres in Latino Preschoolers Infants who are exclusively breastfed early in life are more likely by age 4 or 5 to have longer telomeres, the protective bits of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes in cells.