Effects of a Submaximal Aerobic Exercise Intervention Program on Breast Milk Factors of Homemaker Mothers

Vital benefits of breast-feeding for mother and child's growth and immunity against diseases are indubitable; however, the effects of mother's physical activity on breast milk during breast-feeding is not clearly known. Thus, the present study was carried out to investigate the effects of long-term submaximal aerobic exercises on homemaker mother's breast milk factors.

A total of 30 non-athlete healthy and convenient mothers voluntarily participated in the study. Participants were randomly divided into two control and experimental groups. The first milk samples from both groups were taken 24 hours before the exercise and the second samples were obtained from the experimental group right after the excersise finished. Samples were also taken 24 hours after the 12-week exercise program from the experimental group. A third sampling was also conducted for both groups. In order to study the effects of exercising on milk factors, t-test and two-factor variance test were run.

One hour of aerobic exercises with 60 to 70% HRMAX were observed to have significant effects on breast milk factors of mothers for an hour: fat percentage and protein increased, lactose and water content decreased, and conductivity remained unchanged. Moreover, the study failed to find any significant difference between the effects of 12-week aerobic exercises on milk factors in control and experimental groups.

Findings revealed that long-term and average-intensity aerobic exercises, aiming to improve breast-feeding function, do not have a significant effect on homemaker mother's breast milk factors.