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The Role of Breast Milk in the Formation of Circadian Rhythm

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 52 - 55, 30.04.2025

Betül Yıldırım Çavak , Hayrettin Mutlu

Abstract

Circadian rhythm refers to the repetition of biochemical, physiological and behavioral rhythms, including the individual's sleep and wakefulness cycle in a 24-hour period, hunger and satiety, secretion of some hormones such as cortisol, melatonin and growth hormone, temperature regulation, gene expressions and metabolic systems. The sleep-wake cycle is the most basic circadian rhythm. The hormones that play a major role are cortisol and melatonin. Cortisol is released in the organism in the morning hours and initiates the circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm can be affected by factors such as age, gender, hormones, light, sleep and nutrition. In the first years of life, breast milk plays a role in the formation of circadian rhythm. Breast milk secreted during the day has a high lactose content, provides energy for the baby, improves the baby's learning ability and quenches the feeling of thirst. While the lactose concentration is low in breast milk secreted at night, the fat and melatonin concentrations are high. In the expressed milk feeding method, the time period during which the milk is expressed and the time period during which the baby is fed should be the same in order to maintain the sleep-wake cycle.

Keywords

breast milk circadian rhythm cortisol

References

  • Adam, EK., Quinn, ME., Tavernier, R., McQuillan, MT., Dahlke, KA., & Gilbert, KE. (2017). Diurnal cortisol slopes and mental and physical health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 83:25-41. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.05.018. Aksoy Aydan, E., & Bekar, M. (2023). Circadian Breastfeeding: Impact on Maternal and Infant Health, Journal of Health Sciences Institute, 8(Special Issue): 341-345
  • Antonini, SR., Jorge, SM., & Moreira, AC. (2000). The emergence of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm and its relationship to sleep activity in preterm infants. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf), 52(4):423-426.
  • Aubuchon-Endsley, N. L., Bublitz, M. H., & Stroud, L. R. (2014). Pre-pregnancy obesity and maternal circadian cortisol regulation: Moderation by gestational weight gain. Biological psychology, 102, 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.07.006.
  • Deguchi, T. (1975). Ontogenesis of a biological clock for serotonin:acetyl coenzyme A N-acetyltransferase in pineal gland of rat. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 72 (7), 2814–2818. 10.1073/pnas.72.7.2814
  • Fischer Fumeaux, CJ., Garcia-Rodenas. CL., De Castro, CA., Courtet-Compondu, MC., Thakkar, SK., Beauport, L., Tolsa, JF., & Affolter, M. (2019). Longitudinal Analysis of Macronutrient Composition in Preterm and Term Human Milk: A Prospective Cohort Study. Nutrients, 11(7):1525. doi: 10.3390/nu11071525. PMID: 31277502; PMCID: PMC6683284.
  • Häusler S, Lanzinger E, Sams E, et al. Melatonin in Human Breast Milk and Its Potential Role in Circadian Entrainment: A Nod towards Chrononutrition?. Nutrients. 2024;16(10):1422. Published 2024 May 8. doi:10.3390/nu16101422
  • Italianer, MF., Naninck, EFG., Roelants, JA., van der Horst, GTJ., Reiss, IKM., Goudoever, JBV., Joosten, KFM., Chaves, I., & Vermeulen, MJ. (2020). Circadian Variation in Human Milk Composition, a Systematic Review. Nutrients, 12(8):2328. doi: 10.3390/nu12082328. PMID: 32759654; PMCID: PMC7468880.
  • Ivars, K., Nelson, N., Theodorsson, A., Theodorsson, E., Ström, J. O., & Mörelius, E. (2016). Correction: Development of Salivary Cortisol Circadian Rhythm and Reference Intervals in Full-Term Infants. PloS one, 11(3), e0151888. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151888
  • Kim, SY., & Yi, DY. (2020). Components of human breast milk: from macronutrient to microbiome and microRNA. Clin Exp Pediatr, 63(8):301-309. doi: 10.3345/cep.2020.00059. Epub 2020 Mar 23. PMID: 32252145; PMCID: PMC7402982.
  • KOCAR, F., & ELÇİOĞLU, H. K. (2022). SİRKADİYEN RİTİM VE SİRKADİYEN RİTMİ ETKİLEYEN FAKTÖRLER. Türk Bilimsel Derlemeler Dergisi, 15(2), 29–44.
  • Mitoulas, LR., Kent, JC., Cox, DB., Owens, RA., Sherriff, JL., & Hartmann, PE. (2002). Variation in fat, lactose and protein in human milk over 24 h and throughout the first year of lactation. Br J Nutr, 88(1):29-37. doi:10.1079/BJNBJN2002579
  • Moran-Lev, H., Mimouni, FB., Ovental, A., Mangel, L., Mandel, D., & Lubetzky, R. (2015). Circadian Macronutrients Variations over the First 7 Weeks of Human Milk Feeding of Preterm Infants. Breastfeed Med, 10(7):366-70. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2015.0053. Epub 2015 Jul 29. PMID: 26222826.
  • Muelbert M, Alexander T, Vickers MH, Harding JE, Galante L, Bloomfield FH; DIAMOND study group. Glucocorticoids in preterm human milk. Front Nutr. 2022 Sep 27;9:965654. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.965654. PMID: 36238462; PMCID: PMC9552215.
  • Pundir, S., Mäkelä, J., Nuora, A., Junttila, N., Wall, C. R., Linderborg, K., Cameron-Smith, D., & Lagström, H. (2019). Maternal influences on the glucocorticoid concentrations of human milk: The STEPS study. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 38(4), 1913–1920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2018.06.980
  • Pundir, S., Wall, C. R., Mitchell, C. J., Thorstensen, E. B., Lai, C. T., Geddes, D. T., & Cameron-Smith, D. (2017). Variation of Human Milk Glucocorticoids over 24 hour Period. Journal of mammary gland biology and neoplasia, 22(1), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10911-017-9375-x
  • Qian, J., Chen, T., Lu, W., Wu, S., & Zhu, J. (2010). Breast milk macro- and micronutrient composition in lactating mothers from suburban and urban Shanghai. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 46(3), 115-120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2009.01648.x
  • Sánchez, C. L., Cubero, J., Sánchez, J., Franco, L., Rodríguez, A. B., Rivero, M., & Barriga, C. (2013). Evolution of the circadian profile of human milk amino acids during breastfeeding. Journal of Applied Biomedicine, 11(2):9-70.
  • Spangler, G. (1991). The emergence of adrenocortical circadian function in newborns and infants and its relationship to sleep, feeding and maternal adrenocortical activity. Early Hum Dev, 25(3):197-208. doi:10.1016/0378-3782(91)90116-k
  • Stam, J., Sauer, PJ., & Boehm, G. (2013). Can we define an infant's need from the composition of human milk?. Am J Clin Nutr, 98(2):521S-8S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.044370
  • Suwaydi, MA., Lai, CT., Rea, A., Gridneva, Z., Perrella, SL., Wlodek, ME., & Geddes, DT. (2023). Circadian Variation in Human Milk Hormones and Macronutrients. Nutrients, 15(17):3729. doi: 10.3390/nu15173729. PMID: 37686759; PMCID: PMC10490050.
  • Toorop, A. A., van der Voorn, B., Hollanders, J. J., Dijkstra, L. R., Dolman, K. M., Heijboer, A. C., ... & Finken, M. J. (2020). Diurnal rhythmicity in breast-milk glucocorticoids, and infant behavior and sleep at age 3 months. Endocrine, 68, 660-668.
  • Vasey, C., McBride, J., & Penta, K. (2021). Circadian Rhythm Dysregulation and Restoration: The Role of Melatonin. Nutrients, 13(10):3480. doi: 10.3390/nu13103480. PMID: 34684482; PMCID: PMC8538349.
  • Vreeburg, S. A., Hoogendijk, W. J., DeRijk, R. H., van Dyck, R., Smit, J. H., Zitman, F. G., & Penninx, B. W. (2013). Salivary cortisol levels and the 2-year course of depressive and anxiety disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(9),1494–1502.
  • White, R. D. (2017). Circadian Variation of Breast Milk Components and Implications for Care. Breastfeeding Medicine, 12(7), 398–400. doi:10.1089/bfm.2017.0070
  • Wong, S. D., Wright, K. P., Jr, Spencer, R. L., Vetter, C., Hicks, L. M., Jenni, O. G., & LeBourgeois, M. K. (2022). Development of the circadian system in early life: maternal and environmental factors. Journal of physiological anthropology, 41(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-022-00294-0
  • Zielinska-Pukos, M. A., Bryś, J., Kucharz, N., Chrobak, A., Wesolowska, A., Grabowicz-Chądrzyńska, I., & Hamulka, J. (2022). Factors Influencing Cortisol Concentrations in Breastmilk and Its Associations with Breastmilk Composition and Infant Development in the First Six Months of Lactation. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(22), 14809. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214809

Sirkadiyen Ritmin Oluşmasında Anne Sütünün Rolü

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 52 - 55, 30.04.2025

Betül Yıldırım Çavak , Hayrettin Mutlu

Abstract

Sirkadiyen ritim bireyin 24 saatlik zaman dilimindeki uyku ve uyanıklık döngüsü, açlık ve tokluk, kortizol, melatonin, büyüme hormonu gibi bazı hormonların salgılanması, ısı regülasyonu, gen ekspresyonları, metabolik sistemlerin de dâhil olduğu biyokimyasal, fizyolojik ve davranışsal ritimlerin tekrarını ifade eder. Uyku-uyanıklık döngüsü en temel sirkadiyen ritimdir. Başlıca rol oynayan hormonlar kortizol ve melatonindir. Kortizol organizmada sabah saatlerinde salınır ve sirkadiyen ritmi başlatır. Sirkadiyen ritim yaş, cinsiyet, hormonlar, ışık, uyku ve beslenme gibi faktörlerden etkilenebilmektedir. Yaşamın ilk yıllarında anne sütü sirkadiyen ritmin oluşmasında rol oynar. Gündüz salgılanan anne sütünün laktoz oranı yüksektir, bebek için enerji oluşumu sağlamakta, bebeğin öğrenme yetisini geliştirmekte ve susuzluk hissini gidermektedir. Gece salgılanan anne sütünde laktoz konsantrasyonu düşük iken yağ ve melatonin konsantrasyonları yüksektir. Sağılmış süt ile besleme yönteminde uyku-uyanıklık döngüsünün devamı için sütün sağıldığı zaman dilimi ile bebeğin beslendiği zaman dilimi aynı olmalıdır.

Keywords

anne sütü sirkadiyen ritim kortizol

References

  • Adam, EK., Quinn, ME., Tavernier, R., McQuillan, MT., Dahlke, KA., & Gilbert, KE. (2017). Diurnal cortisol slopes and mental and physical health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 83:25-41. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.05.018. Aksoy Aydan, E., & Bekar, M. (2023). Circadian Breastfeeding: Impact on Maternal and Infant Health, Journal of Health Sciences Institute, 8(Special Issue): 341-345
  • Antonini, SR., Jorge, SM., & Moreira, AC. (2000). The emergence of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm and its relationship to sleep activity in preterm infants. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf), 52(4):423-426.
  • Aubuchon-Endsley, N. L., Bublitz, M. H., & Stroud, L. R. (2014). Pre-pregnancy obesity and maternal circadian cortisol regulation: Moderation by gestational weight gain. Biological psychology, 102, 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.07.006.
  • Deguchi, T. (1975). Ontogenesis of a biological clock for serotonin:acetyl coenzyme A N-acetyltransferase in pineal gland of rat. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 72 (7), 2814–2818. 10.1073/pnas.72.7.2814
  • Fischer Fumeaux, CJ., Garcia-Rodenas. CL., De Castro, CA., Courtet-Compondu, MC., Thakkar, SK., Beauport, L., Tolsa, JF., & Affolter, M. (2019). Longitudinal Analysis of Macronutrient Composition in Preterm and Term Human Milk: A Prospective Cohort Study. Nutrients, 11(7):1525. doi: 10.3390/nu11071525. PMID: 31277502; PMCID: PMC6683284.
  • Häusler S, Lanzinger E, Sams E, et al. Melatonin in Human Breast Milk and Its Potential Role in Circadian Entrainment: A Nod towards Chrononutrition?. Nutrients. 2024;16(10):1422. Published 2024 May 8. doi:10.3390/nu16101422
  • Italianer, MF., Naninck, EFG., Roelants, JA., van der Horst, GTJ., Reiss, IKM., Goudoever, JBV., Joosten, KFM., Chaves, I., & Vermeulen, MJ. (2020). Circadian Variation in Human Milk Composition, a Systematic Review. Nutrients, 12(8):2328. doi: 10.3390/nu12082328. PMID: 32759654; PMCID: PMC7468880.
  • Ivars, K., Nelson, N., Theodorsson, A., Theodorsson, E., Ström, J. O., & Mörelius, E. (2016). Correction: Development of Salivary Cortisol Circadian Rhythm and Reference Intervals in Full-Term Infants. PloS one, 11(3), e0151888. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151888
  • Kim, SY., & Yi, DY. (2020). Components of human breast milk: from macronutrient to microbiome and microRNA. Clin Exp Pediatr, 63(8):301-309. doi: 10.3345/cep.2020.00059. Epub 2020 Mar 23. PMID: 32252145; PMCID: PMC7402982.
  • KOCAR, F., & ELÇİOĞLU, H. K. (2022). SİRKADİYEN RİTİM VE SİRKADİYEN RİTMİ ETKİLEYEN FAKTÖRLER. Türk Bilimsel Derlemeler Dergisi, 15(2), 29–44.
  • Mitoulas, LR., Kent, JC., Cox, DB., Owens, RA., Sherriff, JL., & Hartmann, PE. (2002). Variation in fat, lactose and protein in human milk over 24 h and throughout the first year of lactation. Br J Nutr, 88(1):29-37. doi:10.1079/BJNBJN2002579
  • Moran-Lev, H., Mimouni, FB., Ovental, A., Mangel, L., Mandel, D., & Lubetzky, R. (2015). Circadian Macronutrients Variations over the First 7 Weeks of Human Milk Feeding of Preterm Infants. Breastfeed Med, 10(7):366-70. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2015.0053. Epub 2015 Jul 29. PMID: 26222826.
  • Muelbert M, Alexander T, Vickers MH, Harding JE, Galante L, Bloomfield FH; DIAMOND study group. Glucocorticoids in preterm human milk. Front Nutr. 2022 Sep 27;9:965654. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.965654. PMID: 36238462; PMCID: PMC9552215.
  • Pundir, S., Mäkelä, J., Nuora, A., Junttila, N., Wall, C. R., Linderborg, K., Cameron-Smith, D., & Lagström, H. (2019). Maternal influences on the glucocorticoid concentrations of human milk: The STEPS study. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 38(4), 1913–1920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2018.06.980
  • Pundir, S., Wall, C. R., Mitchell, C. J., Thorstensen, E. B., Lai, C. T., Geddes, D. T., & Cameron-Smith, D. (2017). Variation of Human Milk Glucocorticoids over 24 hour Period. Journal of mammary gland biology and neoplasia, 22(1), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10911-017-9375-x
  • Qian, J., Chen, T., Lu, W., Wu, S., & Zhu, J. (2010). Breast milk macro- and micronutrient composition in lactating mothers from suburban and urban Shanghai. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 46(3), 115-120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2009.01648.x
  • Sánchez, C. L., Cubero, J., Sánchez, J., Franco, L., Rodríguez, A. B., Rivero, M., & Barriga, C. (2013). Evolution of the circadian profile of human milk amino acids during breastfeeding. Journal of Applied Biomedicine, 11(2):9-70.
  • Spangler, G. (1991). The emergence of adrenocortical circadian function in newborns and infants and its relationship to sleep, feeding and maternal adrenocortical activity. Early Hum Dev, 25(3):197-208. doi:10.1016/0378-3782(91)90116-k
  • Stam, J., Sauer, PJ., & Boehm, G. (2013). Can we define an infant's need from the composition of human milk?. Am J Clin Nutr, 98(2):521S-8S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.044370
  • Suwaydi, MA., Lai, CT., Rea, A., Gridneva, Z., Perrella, SL., Wlodek, ME., & Geddes, DT. (2023). Circadian Variation in Human Milk Hormones and Macronutrients. Nutrients, 15(17):3729. doi: 10.3390/nu15173729. PMID: 37686759; PMCID: PMC10490050.
  • Toorop, A. A., van der Voorn, B., Hollanders, J. J., Dijkstra, L. R., Dolman, K. M., Heijboer, A. C., ... & Finken, M. J. (2020). Diurnal rhythmicity in breast-milk glucocorticoids, and infant behavior and sleep at age 3 months. Endocrine, 68, 660-668.
  • Vasey, C., McBride, J., & Penta, K. (2021). Circadian Rhythm Dysregulation and Restoration: The Role of Melatonin. Nutrients, 13(10):3480. doi: 10.3390/nu13103480. PMID: 34684482; PMCID: PMC8538349.
  • Vreeburg, S. A., Hoogendijk, W. J., DeRijk, R. H., van Dyck, R., Smit, J. H., Zitman, F. G., & Penninx, B. W. (2013). Salivary cortisol levels and the 2-year course of depressive and anxiety disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(9),1494–1502.
  • White, R. D. (2017). Circadian Variation of Breast Milk Components and Implications for Care. Breastfeeding Medicine, 12(7), 398–400. doi:10.1089/bfm.2017.0070
  • Wong, S. D., Wright, K. P., Jr, Spencer, R. L., Vetter, C., Hicks, L. M., Jenni, O. G., & LeBourgeois, M. K. (2022). Development of the circadian system in early life: maternal and environmental factors. Journal of physiological anthropology, 41(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-022-00294-0
  • Zielinska-Pukos, M. A., Bryś, J., Kucharz, N., Chrobak, A., Wesolowska, A., Grabowicz-Chądrzyńska, I., & Hamulka, J. (2022). Factors Influencing Cortisol Concentrations in Breastmilk and Its Associations with Breastmilk Composition and Infant Development in the First Six Months of Lactation. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(22), 14809. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214809
There are 26 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Nutritional Science
Journal Section Review
Authors

Betül Yıldırım Çavak 0000-0002-1540-4505

Hayrettin Mutlu 0000-0002-6560-5831

Publication Date April 30, 2025
Submission Date July 25, 2024
Acceptance Date February 25, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025Volume: 10 Issue: 1

Cite

Vancouver Yıldırım Çavak B, Mutlu H. The Role of Breast Milk in the Formation of Circadian Rhythm. J Cumhuriyet Univ Health Sci Inst. 2025;10(1):52-5.
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The Journal of Sivas Cumhuriyet University Institute of Health Sciences is an international, peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Institute of Health Sciences.