According to the CDC, breast milk is designed to provide the appropriate amount of calories and optimal nutrition to support the growth and health of the infant. Good nutrition for the mother during pregnancy and breastfeeding is important to support the health of both the mother and her infant.
Small amounts of what you’re eating and drinking including supplements can pass to your baby through your breast milk. The nutrition requirements for breastfeeding are similar to pregnancy, and women are recommended to continue eating similarly to how they were eating during their pregnancy.
However, a breastfeeding woman needs 200 more calories per day than she did during pregnancy, and it is important that the calories come from nutritious foods. Breastfeeding women usually lose 1 to 4 pounds per month without restricting their calorie intake.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a hard, insoluble, and fibrous protein that makes up one-third of the protein in the human body. In most collagens, the molecules are packed together to form long, thin fibrils. These act as supporting structures and anchor cells to each other. They give the skin strength and elasticity. There are at least 16 different types of collagen, but 80 to 90 percent of them belong to types 1, 2, and 3. These different types have different structures and functions.
Collagen supplements have become very common these days, it is hard to escape a grocery store without seeing tubs of powdered collagen, or browse in a drugstore without noticing creams that claim they’ll boost collagen to keep you looking young for decades to come. It’s true that this protein plays a role in the perceived youthfulness of your skin, but there’s more to it.
How does it work?
Collagen is one of the materials that make up cartilage, bone, and skin. Taking collagen supplements can increase the production of collagen in the body. Some people think collagen might help for arthritis and other joint conditions. The chemicals in collagen, called amino acids, can be absorbed in the body.
Can you take collagen while breastfeeding?
According to nutrition experts, there is absolutely no harm in taking collagen while breastfeeding for you or your baby, and you might like it as a quick way (mixed in your coffee, for example) to get its added health benefits. When used in small amounts and sparingly, collagen should pose no danger to your child. However, if you have concerns, please discuss them with your pediatrician or registered dietitian. Every child has different needs and circumstances. With appropriate use, these products should be safe for young children.
Collagen is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth as medicine for a short amount of time in infants and young children. Taking 250 mg of gelatin tannate four times per day for up to 5 days seems to be safe in children under 15 kg or 3 years of age. Taking 500 mg of gelatin tannate four times per day for up to 5 days seems to be safe in children over 15 kg or 3 years of age.
Are there safety concerns?
Collagen is safe for most people in food amounts. The larger amounts used in medicine are POSSIBLY SAFE. There’s some evidence that collagen in doses up to 10 grams daily can be safely used for up to 6 months.
Collagen can cause an unpleasant taste, feelings of heaviness in the stomach, bloating, heartburn, and belching. collagen can also cause allergic reactions. In some people, allergic reactions have been severe enough to damage the heart and cause death.
There is some concern about the safety of collagen because it comes from animal sources. Some people are worried that unsafe manufacturing practices might lead to contamination of collagen products with diseased animal tissues including those that might transmit mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). Although this risk seems to be low, many experts advise against using animal-derived collagen supplements.
