Alpine butter and fatty acids in breast milk of nursing women
What it found
Eating Alpine butter for 10 days raised several fats in the breast milk of nursing women.
One specific fat type rose by 49.7%.
What they found
Studies in people
Saturated fats increased
Eating Alpine butter raised levels of certain fats called C16 and C18, as well as total saturated fats, in breast milk.
Trans fats rose
Butter also increased trans fats and fats linked to CLA in the milk of these nursing women.
One CLA isomer jumped
A specific type of CLA fat rose by 49.7% in breast milk when the mothers ate Alpine butter.
Other CLA types changed
Four other CLA types also went up significantly. The remaining nine detectable types stayed the same and were below 5 mg per 100 g of fat.
What the authors conclude
- They say a nursing mother can change the fat supply in her milk by eating Alpine butter.
- The authors note that more research is needed to see if this altered milk pattern benefits newborns.
How it was done
Scientists knew that fats called CLA eaten by nursing women change their milk, but they did not know how the different types were affected.
Sixteen nursing women took part in a trial starting at least 20 days after giving birth. Each woman ate set amounts of Alpine butter for 10 days and margarine with similar fat for 10 days, in alternating order. Researchers measured fats in their milk before, during, and after each period.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This trial only looked at what happened in breast milk. It cannot show whether those changes affect the health of the baby.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Zurich University Hospital, Switzerland
The paper
- Title
- Maternal dietary Alpine butter intake affects human milk: fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid isomers
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Bertschi I, Collomb M, Rist L, et al (2005). Maternal dietary Alpine butter intake affects human milk: fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid isomers. Lipids. doi:10.1007/s11745-005-1419-8PubMed 16149737DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error