Claim: A woman metabolises the fat from the buttocks to make breast milk.
Verdict: False. Prolactin is responsible for milk production in mothers. Although some mothers have reported a fat loss in certain body parts, it is not directly attributable to milk production.
Full Text
A viral TikTok video, posted by @jodi.bergquist1, suggests that fat from the buttocks is used for milk production during lactation. The post has been liked over 450,000 times and shared with over 12,000 users. The post has generated many comments on the social media platform, with many indicating panic.
Based on this, we sought to find out if this is true. Does the body of a lactating mother draw fat from the buttocks for milk production?
Verification
DUBAWA spoke to Dr Kasule Iddrisu Yakubu, a Medical Officer at Bolga Regional Hospital, and Dr Ankoma Micheal, a Pediatrician at the Labor and Delivery Unit at the Jinijini Health Center, to ascertain the truth behind the claim.
How is breast milk produced?
Dr Kasule first explained the milk production process stating that when babies suckle on the mother’s breasts, it sends a message to the mother’s brain. The brain then signals the hormones prolactin and oxytocin to be released. The prolactin then causes the alveoli to begin making milk. He added that oxytocin causes muscles around the alveoli to squeeze milk out through the milk ducts.
“Prolactin is the hormone responsible. The milk is produced in small clusters of cells called alveoli. The milk travels down ducts to the nipple. The milk is made inside glands from the bloodstream.”
Dr Ankoma added that the body produces breast milk by picking nutrients from the mother’s blood to produce breast milk. All the essential nutrients from the mother’s food which is in her blood, are used to produce breast milk. That’s why a mother must eat very well to get breast milk.
Is fat from the buttocks used in breast milk production?
“We have a lot of fat people who cannot produce enough breast milk for their babies. If the body makes breast milk from fats in the tissue, then breastfeeding could reduce their weight,” Dr Ankoma said.
According to Dr Ankoma, when the mother eats, the end product of the food (nutrients like glucose, protein, and minerals, including fats) from her blood (not from fatty tissues) is used to produce breast milk. In fact, fat metabolism produces energy in the body and not another fat for breast milk. Based on that, If the mother does not eat well to get the needed nutrients, the body cannot produce enough breast milk.
Dr Kasule also pointed out that breastfeeding is stressful for mothers and can cause weight loss; however, “that doesn’t mean they get the breakfast milk from burning buttocks fat.”
We further spoke to Callistina Blankson, a midwife at St. Albans Hospital, Fetentaa, who also said that “The physiology behind the production of breast milk is hormonal, which involves prolactin, hypothalamus, and oxytocin and does not include any metabolism of body fat to the best of my knowledge.”
An article on Sutter Health supports the process, as stated by medical experts. “Prolactin causes your alveoli to take nutrients (proteins, sugars) from your blood supply and turn them into breast milk.”
Clevelandclinic.org also indicates that milk production is a hormonal action that occurs after the baby and placenta are delivered due to a drop in estrogen, progesterone, and other pregnancy hormones that prolactin. After this, prolactin takes over and causes milk production to take place.
Although studies like Hatsu, McDouglad & Anderson (2008), titled Effect of infant feeding on maternal body composition have provided evidence that exclusive breastfeeding promotes greater weight loss than mixed feeding, it is tied to high energy demand on the mother’s body, not to fat burning in the buttocks region.
Conclusion
Women can lose weight when they breastfeed, which can be lost on different body parts. However, the fat lost is not used in milk production. Prolactin is responsible for milk production.
This report was produced under the DUBAWA Non-urban Journalists Mentorship project aimed at promoting a culture of truth and verification in non-urban newsrooms in Ghana with support from the US Embassy in Ghana.
