“Why Some Women Don’t Have Enough Breastmilk for Baby: Important Role of Insulin in Making Breast Milk Identified”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130705212228.htm
This is very exciting news and may be one of the reasons why some moms have milk-supply difficulties. Moms with gestational diabetes and diabetic moms tend to have a slower increase of full milk-supply and now there is evidence that shows why this may be true.
For those who are interested in reading the original research:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0067531
These are early findings but if you have low milk-supply and insulin resistance, you might consider using dietary modifications to lower your blood sugar in order to increase your milk-supply.
One dietary modification that may be helpful in lowering blood sugar is magnesium supplementation. Low magnesium is associated with insulin resistance and sugar cravings.
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2010/02/magnesium-and-insulin-sensitivity.html
Many breastfeeding moms notice a milk-supply drop coinciding with sugar cravings during certain times of their menstrual cycles and have found that magnesium (and calcium) supplementation can help them to avoid this supply drop.
Since many of us are low in magnesium, supplementation of this mineral may be one dietary intervention that could positively affect blood sugar and milk-supply.
Laura Spitzfaden, LLLL, IBCLC
