This just in from Bolivia…scientists analyzing the breast milk of native women in the Tsimane tribe have found that compared to US women, it is higher in omega-3 fatty acid content. Not just a little bit higher…these native women had 400% more DHA in their breast milk than women living in Cincinnati, Ohio! And, trans-fat levels were 206% lower.
(The Tsimane are known for their high fertility rate.)
Their diet consists of locally grown crops, wild game, and freshwater fish. Meaning the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is about twenty-fold lower than that of American women.
Since healthy breast milk is a reflection of healthy hormones, the take away seems to be here:
-Whole Foods is nice but not necessary.
-You don't need supplement.
-You don't need fancy diets.
-You don't need to be vegetarian.
-If you can't afford salmon but you're fishing for bass…it's ok to eat.
You just need to be sensible. I think you all knew this already. These scientists just made it more undeniable.
Which made me smile when I read this study. If I could just get all of you to believe and act on this…you just might put me out of business. And I could retire in Costa Rica.
Martin MA, Lassek WD, Gaulin SJ, Evans RW, Woo JG, Geraghty SR, Davidson BS, Morrow AL, Kaplan HS, Gurven MD. Fatty acid composition in the mature milk of Bolivian forager-horticulturalists: controlled comparisons with a US sample. Matern Child Nutr. 2012 Jul;8(3):404-418. doi: 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2012.00412.x. Epub 2012 May 24.