Alcohol consumption could reduce breast milk supply in women

07/04/05 Scientific researchers have revealed that alcohol consumption by women who are breast feeding reduces their milk supply, rather than boosting it.

New evidence shows that alcohol consumption causes hormonal disruption, decreased lactation performance and diminished milk supply. The findings were published today in the April issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, one of the four journals of The Endocrine Society.

With April as Alcohol Awareness Month -- an annual program designed to shed light on the importance of identifying alcoholism and intervention -- breastfeeding mothers are now armed with scientific data highlighting the health risks associated with moderate alcohol consumption during lactation. For centuries, physicians and mid-wives around the world have claimed that alcohol is a galactogenic (milk producing) substance and have recommended consumption to mothers in order to enhance the quality and quantity of milk to infants.

The present study was led by Julie Mennella, Ph.D., at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The results of the showed a significant decrease in oxytocin level, which correlates with the decline of milk ejection and production, dismissing the lore that alcohol is a galactagogue. Furthermore, the increased prolactin levels are directly associated with the lactating mothers' perception of breast fullness explaining why the folklore may have persisted for centuries.