Susan Sturgeon is a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
AMHERST — In spring 2020, University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers, with support from a National Institutes of Health grant, initiated the New Moms Wellness Study to measure the impact a diet high in fruits and vegetables has on breast milk and breast cancer risk.
A pilot study the researchers undertook in 2018 indicated that such a diet resulted in lower levels of certain markers for inflammation in their breast milk compared to that of breastfeeding women who did not follow such a diet.
Some 200 women have participated in the larger study to date and the researchers are looking for 200 more to complete their work.
“We are looking for pregnant women who plan to breastfeed and breastfeeding women with infants less than six weeks old who live within 35 miles of Amherst,” said Susan Sturgeon, professor of biostatistics and epidemiology in UMass’ School of Public Health and Health Sciences. “After being screened for eligibility, study participants are randomized into an intervention or control group.”
She said that the “intervention group receives weekly nutrition counseling and a supplementary box of fruit and vegetables each week.”
“The control group is asked to use the USDA My Plate, which recommends consumption of a healthy diet for breastfeeding women,” Sturgeon said. “All study participants are asked to provide four breastmilk samples and four infant stool samples.”
She added, “All aspects of the study are conducted without in-person contact.”
“For example, questionnaires are completed by video/phone calls, counselling is done by telephone, fruit and vegetable boxes are delivered curbside by arrangement, and pick up of milk and other samples is also curbside at their home by arrangement,” said Sturgeon, a cancer epidemiologist.
Study participants are asked to participate for one year, but Sturgeon said should they “like to continue, we will follow up with participants annually for a couple of years.”
“We have successfully enrolled nearly 200 women in our study but still need another 200 to complete the study,” Sturgeon said. “COVID-19 has impacted our recruitment efforts and we would greatly appreciate people spreading the word about our study.”
According to the study’s website, early age at first birth, increased parity, that is the number of births, stillborn or alive, carried to a viability, and breastfeeding are “recognized factors that substantially reduce long-term risk of breast cancer.”
Also, the site notes that “there is some evidence that pregnancy and lactation can cause inflammation in the breast that can increase breast cancer risk for up to 10 years after giving birth.”
“This is known as pregnancy-related breast cancer,” it adds. “It is possible in certain susceptible individuals that this inflammation may increase breast cancer long term.”
Sturgeon said that “we want to learn if eating lots of fruit and vegetables can decrease inflammation and prevent other molecular changes associated with breast cancer.”
The researchers, who include environmental toxicologist Kathleen Arcaro and nutritionist Lindiwe Sibeko, believe that breast milk may give “a better idea about breast health than taking a blood sample” to look for signs of breast inflammation and adverse molecular changes.
They also want to learn how eating more fruits and vegetables can affect the health of breastfed babies, including possible changes to “babies’ gut bacteria, that is, their microbiome.”
“We are also collecting optional maternal stool samples and hope to learn more about how diet may affect the microbiome in the mother-infant dyad,” Sturgeon said.
Sturgeon said the study is a randomized controlled trial and its findings cannot be analyzed until “all of the participants have completed the study.”
Sturgeon said that most study participants “have been recruited through Facebook advertisements, local hospitals, obstetric and pediatric offices, and through other participants.”
“Most study participants know that this study involves some time, but they have told us they feel like they are contributing to important research,” Sturgeon said. “We’ve added a few new things to the study to show participants how grateful we are for their participation, such as a monthly raffle for participants who complete sample study visits. We also have a quarterly newsletter with updates about the study.”
Interested women can call (413) 545-1037; email: newmomswellness@umass.edu or visit blogs.umass.edu/newmomswellness, for more information or to fill out a contact form.
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