A research study out of the University of Florida has shown that vaccination against COVID-19 results in a significant increase in antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk. These findings suggest vaccinated mothers can pass immune protection to their infants through nursing. Researchers are still investigating if consuming breast milk with these antibodies results in infants developing their own protection against the virus.
The researchers' future interests include exploring the potential of using breast milk produced by vaccinated mothers as a therapeutic treatment and are excited by how much there is still to learn about breast milk and its benefits.
Learn more about the work of these researchers in this article published by Science Daily or click here to read the original journal article by Valcarce and others ahead of its upcoming print in Breastfeeding Medicine.
Image sourced from the Toronto Star, with illustration by Monica Guan.
Article citation:
Vivian Valcarce, Lauren Stewart Stafford, Josef Neu, Nicole Cacho, Leslie Parker, Martina Mueller, David J. Burchfield, Nan Li, and Joseph Larkin III. Breastfeeding Medicine. Ahead of print. http://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2021.0122