Is Lecithin safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Lecithin. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
No published information was found as of the revision date on milk levels of lecithin following maternal supplementation. However, lecithin components such as choline and its esters are normally found in breastmilk. Maternal Levels. A meta-analysis found that the average total water- and lipid-soluble choline (including choline esters) content of milk increased from 71.5 mg/L in colostrum to 152.2 mg/L in transitional milk, then stabilized at 145.0 mg/L in mature milk. The total choline concentration was higher in developing countries than in developed countries.[ 9 ] A study of 94 women in China measured choline concentration in breastmilk over time. Choline concentration were 151.48 mol/L (15.8 mg/L) at 15 days, 134.69 mol/L (14.0 mg/L) at 30 days, and 119.00 mol/L (12.4 mg/L) at 90 days postpartum, respectively.[ 10 ] Lactating women were given either 480 or 930 mg of choline daily. Both doses increased the breastmilk content of the choline metabolites, phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, glycine and trimethylamine oxide.[ 11 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Lecithin is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.