7 APRIL: WORLD HEALTH DAY 2021
It‘s World Health Day and time to build a fairer, healthier world for everyone, everywhere. Breastfeeding is a crucial element in reaching this goal.
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!
The UN Women’s vision of an equal future includes healthcare services that meet the needs of all women. We are excited to report that LactaHub is contributing with a resource to help health professionals meet the specific needs of lactating and breastfeeding women: LactaMedia – A Clinical Image Collection. The emerging, open access collection of educational photos and videos is appropriate for training, presenting and assisting patients.
WHAT IS THE COST OF NOT BREASTFEEDING IN INDONESIA?
Billions per year, researchers estimate. This new costing study in the International Breastfeeding Journal shows how expanding paid maternity leave is not only economically attractive, but has the potential to boost breastfeeding rates and save the lives of mothers and children.
A STORY ABOUT THE OVERLOOKED GUT-BREAST AXIS AND CHILD HEALTH
… has just been published in MDPI Nutrients. Read on for fascinating insights from scientists exploring how interactions between the maternal gut and the breast, and then the breast and the infant gut, help program health for life.
11 FEBRUARY: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE!
In celebrating STEM women of yesterday, today and tomorrow, we asked 2 women the Foundation is honoured to work with to tell us what – or who – inspired them as girls. Here’s what they told us …
NOT AN ‘EITHER-OR’: BREASTFEEDING AND COVID-19 VACCINATION
The Lancet has just published an open letter by global breastfeeding experts urging for a comprehensive approach to assessing vaccines for breastfeeding mothers … because women and their healthcare providers should not have to choose one over the other.
WHAT IS OFTEN MORE OF A THREAT TO LIFE AND HEALTH THAN DIRECT VIOLENCE?
… the ‘indirect’ effects on women and children of living near armed conflicts. This just-published Lancet Series shines a light on top dangers and offers insights on key interventions. Conducted by BRANCH, the research was supported in part by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
BREATHING (AND BREASTFEEDING) EASIER … THANKS TO OXYTOCIN?
Could inducing mild labor with oxytocin before an elective cesarean section trigger the release of hormones that help newborns breathe? Scientists at 8 hospitals in Switzerland and Germany are looking for answers, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
COVID-19 VACCINATION: CAN IT PROTECT BREASTFED CHILDREN AS WELL?
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine is investigating how COVID-19 vaccines may not only benefit breastfeeding mothers, but also their breastfed infants, thanks to a USD 200,000 donation from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
WHAT WOULD MATERNAL PROTECTION COST FOR INFORMAL WORKERS IN THE PHILIPPINES?
Alive and Thrive and the Yale University Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly (BBF) initiative teamed up to find out, since improving maternity protection could promote breastfeeding – a major driver of many Sustainable Development Goals.
ONE STEP CLOSER TO A PREVENTATIVE STRATEGY FOR NEWBORNS AT RISK OF INTESTINAL NECROSIS?
Newborns weighing less than 1,500 grams are in danger of developing necrotising enterocolitis – a deadly intestinal disease caused by excess inflammation. Yet research on how breastmilk plus probiotics could prevent NEC is marching ahead, thanks to a group of scientists from the US and China.
THE STARK STATE OF BREASTFEEDING IN CONFLICT SETTINGS … AND WAYS FORWARD
Displacement, stress, maternal malnutrition, family casualties, free distribution of breastmilk substitutes: all compromise breastfeeding where it is urgently needed to protect children from malnutrition and infection. Research findings from Aga Khan University and the Hospital for Sick Children, supported by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, have just been published in BMJ Open.
NEW STUDY IDENTIFIES ROUTES TO BECOMING (MORE) BREASTFEEDING FRIENDLY IN GHANA
The International Breastfeeding Journal has published an open-access analysis outlining a multi-sector approach to further improving national breastfeeding practices, conducted by a group of BBF researchers with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
BREASTMILK: NOT A VECTOR FOR SARS-COV-2, PER STUDY RESULTS PUBLISHED IN JAMA
Findings from the collaborative study launched by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and supported in part by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation have just been published in this top ranking peer reviewed medical journal.
NEW TRAINING COMPENDIUM ON LIFESAVING MOTHERS’ OWN MILK
Rush University Medical Center, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, launches PROVIDE – A Training Compendium on Providing Mothers’ Own Milk in NICU Settings, to help healthcare professionals bring this lifesaving intervention to infants in intensive care worldwide.
INVITE TO EXPLORE: PROVIDE TRAINING COMPENDIUM - 6 AUGUST 2020 - WBW
Are in interested in learning how to bring lifesaving mothers' own milk to infants in intensive care? Register to explore PROVIDE – A Training Compendium on Providing Mothers’ Own Milk in NICU Settings, during World Breastfeeding Week.
UNTAPPED? THE POWER OF SOCIAL NETWORKS AND SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS TO PROMOTE BREASTFEEDING
Researchers analysing the flow of breastfeeding information on Twitter uncover promising potential. Details of their study, led by the University of California San Diego and supported by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, have just been published in Maternal and Child Nutrition.
BREAKING NEWS: DATA INDICATE TRANSMISSION OF SARS-COV-2 FROM MOTHER TO INFANT VIA BREASTMILK IS UNLIKELY
Urgently needed findings on breastmilk from infected women have just been shared by the research team led by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and supported in part by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. Details are in a preprint on medRxiv.
CASE STUDY: MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES IN AFGHANISTAN AMID LONG-TERM CONFLICT
Aga Khan University and the Hospital for Sick Children, supported in part by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, report national resiliency despite the ongoing unrest that has compromised the delivery of health services, and offer recommendations for improvement. Details are in Conflict and Health, as part of a series by members and partners of the BRANCH Consortium (Bridging Research and Action in Conflict Settings for the Health of Women and Children), made available for open access by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
HOW CAN COUNTRIES CALCULATE THE COST OF EXTENDING PAID MATERNITY LEAVE, AND THUS IMPROVE BREASTFEEDING RATES?
The June 2020 WHO Bulletin outlines a 5-step, standardized method, developed by the Yale School of Public Health with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
HEALTH INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN CONFLICT SETTINGS: A NEW CASE STUDY FROM PAKISTAN
The BMC journal Conflict and Health has just published details on maternal and child health in Pakistan, conducted with researchers from Aga Khan University and funded in part by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. It is one of a series of case studies conducted by members and partners of the BRANCH Consortium (Bridging Research and Action in Conflict Settings for the Health of Women and Children) and made available for open access by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
LACTAHUB – NEW SOURCE FOR EVIDENCE-BASED BREASTFEEDING INTELLIGENCE
The Global Health Network and the Family Larsson Rosenquist Foundation launch LactaHub: an open access knowledge platform featuring scientific and evidence-based information on breastfeeding and breastmilk for health professionals.
MULTIPLE MICRONUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTS (MMS) – NOT ONLY DURING PREGNANCY?
The Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation shares its perspective on the importance of MMS throughout the first 1,000-day period, in the latest special report from Sight and Life.
MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION PUBLISHES FASCINATING FINDINGS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO
‘Distance, Diffusion, and the Role of Social Media in a Time of COVID Contagion’ – the open access article illustrates the dissemination of recent information related to breastfeeding and COVID-19 via Twitter.
COVID-19 AND NICU SAFETY INFORMATION: NOW IN ARABIC, BENGALI, CHINESE, ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH AND URDU
Families with infants in neonatal intensive care units can now access advice on COVID-19 and breastmilk in seven languages, thanks to researchers at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.
CRITICAL RESEARCH: BREASTMILK AND COVID-19
The University of California San Diego and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation launch critical research into breastmilk and COVID-19.
SCIENCE PUBLISHES CALL FOR MORE INVESTIGATION INTO THE MOTHER-BREASTMILK-INFANT “TRIAD”
With peers in the UK, the US and the WHO, the director of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine outlines ways additional research could improve public health.
NOW IN HEALTH FACILITIES AND COMMUNITIES IN ARGENTINA AND KENYA – INTERPRACTICE-21st (IP21) FOR PRETERM INFANTS
Neonatal healthcare settings in Buenos Aires and Lodwar, Kenya are now getting acquainted with the IP21 Project. Designed to promote optimal postnatal growth of preterm infants until 6 months of age, the international preterm growth standards and evidence-based feeding recommendations are coordinated by the University of Oxford in collaboration with Harvard University, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
BREASTMILK PLUS PROBIOTICS MAY PROTECT LOW BIRTHWEIGHT PREMATURE INFANTS FROM A DEADLY INTESTINAL DISEASE
Researchers from Boston and Beijing have just published their findings in an open access article, funded in part by a grant from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation to the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School.
GHANA ADOPTS INTERGROWTH 21ST PRETERM GROWTH STANDARDS AND FEEDING PROTOCOLS TO COMBAT INFANT MORTALITY
INTERPRACTICE-21st (IP21) is an effort coordinated by the University of Oxford in collaboration with Harvard University, supported by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. IP21 introduces globally validated resources designed specifically to underpin the health and development of infants born preterm.
INTIAL DATA OFFERS EXCITING IMPLICATIONS FOR EGG ALLERGY PREVENTION
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has published a study conducted by The University of Western Australia and supported in part by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation indicating breastmilk may help shield infants from egg allergies.
JUST PUBLISHED: DETAILS FROM SAMOA’S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BECOMING BREASTFEEDING FRIENDLY (BBF) INITIATIVE
The International Breastfeeding Journal has released results from Samoa’s implementation of the evidence-based BBF initiative, developed by the Yale School of Public Health with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, in an open-access article.
RESEARCHERS UNVEIL PROTECTIVE POTENTIAL OF BREASTMILK AGAINST MALARIA
For the first time, study results indicate that mothers may be able to naturally vaccinate their breastfeeding infants against one of the world’s most deadly contagious diseases. The study was conducted by The University of Western Australia with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TALENT IN THE FIELD OF LACTATION, BREASTFEEDING AND BREASTMILK
The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation congratulate 4 new career development scholarship awardees.
FIVE RESEARCH GROUPS WIN 2020 MOMI SEEDS PILOT GRANTS FROM LRF MOMI CORE
The Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence awards a new round of grants totalling USD 250,000 to University of California San Diego researchers.
RESULTS REVEAL PROPHYLAXIS ANTIBIOTICS PROVIDE NO CLINICAL BENEFIT FOR BREASTFED HIV-EXPOSED BUT UNINFECTED (HEU) INFANTS
The Lancet Global Health has just published findings from a randomised controlled trial conducted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, investigating the effect of antibiotics on the morbidity and mortality of breastfed HEU infants in South Africa.
ANTIBIOTICS OR NOT? STUDY RESULTS COMING SOON IN THE LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH
Findings from a randomised controlled study conducted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, have the potential to change the current practice of giving fully breastfed HIV-exposed but uninfected infants antibiotics to protect them from childhood infectious illnesses and mortality.
COULD PRE-K12 SCHOOL-BASED BREASTFEEDING EDUCATION INFLUENCE FUTURE BREASTFEEDING RATES?
To find out, researchers surveyed both teachers and students at various schools in Lebanon to help design a suitable educational curriculum. Their findings have been published in 2 open-access articles, supported by the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence at the University of California, San Diego.
PRIMED FOR PANORAMIC INQUIRY INTO NEURODEVELOPMENTAL MECHANISMS INFUNFLUENCING CHILD AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
The University of Zurich has named Professor Giancarlo Natalucci as inaugural chairholder of the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn – endowed by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation and designed to accommodate complex, globally focused research over long-term horizons.
TWO SCIENTISTS WIN 2019 TEP TRAINEE TRAVEL FUNDS
The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML), supported by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, awards Trainee Travel Funds from Trainee Expansion Program (TEP) of up to CHF 10,000 to two young talents to advance their current research into breastmilk.
LACTAMAP GOES LIVE: FREE LACTATION CARE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS NOW AVAILABLE
The Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation and The University of Western Australia launch LactaMap – a clinical resource to help medical practitioners caring for breastfeeding mothers and their infants.
FIRST-EVER CENTRE FOR BASIC RESEARCH WITH A GLOBAL FOCUS ON EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HUMAN LACTATION OPENS IN SHANGHAI
Fudan University, Tongji University and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation launch a hub for globally-focused investigations into critical questions surrounding breastfeeding-related physiology and best practices linked to the long-range health of mothers and children – the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Shanghai Breastfeeding Research Center.
AVAILABLE NOW: NEW TOOLKIT TO INCREASE BABIES’ ACCESS TO LIFESAVING MOTHERS’ MILK
Strengthening Human Milk Banking: A Resource Toolkit for Establishing and Integrating Human Milk Banks has just been released by a group of international experts under the leadership of FATH and its parent PATH, and with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, to improve survival for vulnerable infants.
LARSSON-ROSENQUIST FOUNDATION MOTHER-MILK-INFANT CENTER OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE ANNOUNCES 2019 MOMI SEEDS AWARDEES
Five researchers secure USD 50,000-seed grants from the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence (LRF MOMI CORE), University of California San Diego to launch unique investigations into breastmilk and human lactation.
HOW DOES BREASTMILK INFLUENCE COLONISATION OF NEWBORN GUT FLORA, AND HELP BUILD HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEMS?
Professor W. Allan Walker, Conrad Taff Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, launches an investigation into breastmilk’s protective mechanisms. The aim: to reduce the number of children affected by allergic inflammatory and chronic diseases.
IS BREASTFEEDING AND BREASTMILK RESEARCH BEING CONDUCTED ETHICALLY? NO ROOM FOR GUESSWORK
To ensure breastmilk and breastfeeding research is conducted ethically, the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Zurich, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, initiates the development of ethical evaluation standards and a compendium of questions to aid scientists and reviewers in their work.
FAMILY LARSSON-ROSENQUIST FOUNDATION AT WORLD HEALTH SUMMIT AND GRAND CHALLENGES ANNUAL MEETING
Dr Katharina Lichtner, Managing Director of Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, speaks on the panel “Growth and Resilience: Changing the Paradigm to Save Mothers and Children” at the 10th World Health Summit, and attends Grand Challenges Annual Meeting 2018.
TRAINEE EXPANSION PROGRAM: 2018 AWARDEES AND OPENING OF APPLICATION PROCESS FOR 2019
The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation announce 2018 awardees of the Trainee Expansion Program (TEP), and open application process for 2019 TEP scholarships during 19th ISRHML Conference in Kanagawa, Japan.
EXPLORING HORMONES’ ROLE IN BREASTMILK PRODUCTION, FOR EVIDENCE-BASED BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT
The University of Oxford initiates research on the endocrinology of human lactation – laying the foundation for a permanent research hub at the Oxford Women’s Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, to be endowed by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
FAMILY LARSSON-ROSENQUIST FOUNDATION AT UHC CONFERENCE AND ICM UNGA MIDWIFERY CHAMPIONS RECEPTION
The Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation attends two important events during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly: UHC Conference and ICM UNGA Midwifery Champions Reception.
NEW EVIDENCE-BASED REFERENCE BOOK PRESENTS HOLISTIC OVERVIEW OF HUMAN LACTATION
Breastfeeding and Breast Milk – from Biochemistry to Impact, just published by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation at Thieme, explores the multifaceted, multidisciplinary and complex world of breastfeeding and breastmilk.
ADDING THE ‘EVIDENCE’ INGREDIENT TO NUTRITIONAL ADVICE FOR BREASTFEEDING MOMS
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, begins a study on the connections between maternal metabolism and dietary composition, and an infant’s metabolome, growth and health outcomes for evidence-based dietary recommendations.
GETTING MORE ‘MOM’ TO MORE INFANTS IN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNITS
Rush University Medical Center, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, is removing barriers to mothers’ own milk (MOM) – a vital resource for preterm and other babies hospitalised in neonatal intensive care units.
LACTAPEDIA GOES LIVE: ONLINE GLOSSARY OF LACTATION FOR SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NOW AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE
What is a breastfeed? The definition of a breastfeed varies widely and this affects both our understanding of its function and our medical care for breastfeeding. The University of Western Australia and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation launch LactaPedia to end confusion in the language of lactation, which includes ‘breastfeeding’ and ‘breastmilk’.
SAVING LIVES OF BABIES LIVING THROUGH CONFLICT VIA BETTER BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT
New research aims to save the lives of babies living through conflict and in refugee situations by helping their mothers continue breastfeeding. The study, financed by the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, is being conducted by the Aga Khan University in Pakistan and the Hospital for Sick Children in Canada.
HOW TO ACHIEVE BETTER BRESTFEEDING OUTCOMES AFTER C-SECTIONS – CLINICAL STUDY UNDERWAY
The University Children’s Hospital Basel, in close cooperation with the University Hospital of Zurich and with support from the University Hospital Basel, Cantonal Hospital Baden, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, investigates whether the mild induction of labour before caesarean sections helps infant primary adaptation, bonding and lactation, resulting in improved neonatal and maternal outcomes.
WORLD’S FIRST CENTRE FOR BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS OF BREASTFEEDING ENDOWED IN SWITZERLAND
What empowers women to breastfeed? What obstacles to successful breastfeeding do women, families or even entire communities encounter? What are the causal effects of breastfeeding on child development and family dynamics? Researchers will tackle these and other consequential questions at the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Economics of Breastfeeding (LRF CEB), established by the University of Zurich and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
BUILDING BREASTFEEDING-FRIENDLY COUNTRIES
Eight countries and counting have implemented Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly (BBF): A Guide to Global Scale-Up, to increase breastfeeding rates around the world. Developed by the Yale School of Public Health, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.
RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANT LINK BETWEEN BREASTFEEDING AND ALLERGY PREVENTION
The aha! Swiss Allergy Centre, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, expands education measures for healthcare professionals and the general public about breastfeeding’s leading role in allergy prevention.
CAN COLOSTRUM HELP PREVENT ALLERGIES AND METABOLIC DISEASES?
The University of Western Australia, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, launches a study to discover how colostrum, the first fluid produced by the mammary gland, impacts a newborn’s gut immune system development and health in adulthood.
TRACKING HOW THE LIFE SCIENCES HAVE CHANGED THE ‘IDEAS’ ABOUT MILK OVER 300 YEARS
The University of Basel, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, delves into the perception of milk over the 17th-19th centuries.
THERAPUETIC OR TOXIC? INVESTIGATING FOUR COMMON HERBS TAKEN TO BOOST BREASTMILK PRODUCTION
Helpful or harmful? These are the questions the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, is asking about four herbal galactagogues commonly used by breastfeeding mothers: goat’s rue, fenugreek, thistle and moringa.
ARE CURRENT ANTIBIOTIC GUIDELINES ALSO APPROPRIATE FOR EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFED HIV-EXPOSED BUT UNINFECTED (HEU) BABIES?
The University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, launches a study to determine whether fully breastfed HEU infants need antibiotics to protect them from childhood infectious illnesses and mortality.
HOW CAN BREASTMILK HELP PREVENT AND TREAT THE WORLD’S MOST COMMON – YET DEADLY – DISEASES?
The University of California San Diego and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation have established the first-ever interdisciplinary research hub looking toward breastmilk for answers to these questions and more: the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research.
ADOPTION OF INTERGROWTH-21st PRETERM GROWTH STANDARDS AND BREASTFEEDING-BASED PROTOCOLS CAN IMPROVE PRETERM INFANT OUTCOMES WORLDWIDE
INTERGROWTH-21st Preterm Postnatal Growth Standards, coordinated by the University of Oxford with support from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, produces an expanding suite of resources – all aimed at improving preterm infant health outcomes globally.
NEW COLLABORATION CULTIVATES NEXT GENERATION OF RESEARCH TALENT IN FIELD OF BREASTFEEDING AND BREASTMILK
The International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation join forces for the Trainee Expansion Program – an international career development campaign offering scholarships to young researchers interested in launching or advancing their careers.
ENDOWED DOWN UNDER: WORLD’S FIRST CHAIR IN HUMAN LACTOLOGY, IN BIOCHEMISTRY
The University of Western Australia is home to a new chair dedicated to human lactation, breastfeeding and breastmilk, following an endowment from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation.