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Excerpts from Smoking leaves taste in breast milk

Reuters 11/18/98]

Smoking cigarettes can rapidly affect the taste and smell of breast milk, according to two Philadelphia scientists seeking to explain why the children of smokers are more likely to smoke themselves.

A panel of smell experts ``were more likely to identify samples collected from the women 30 minutes to one hour after smoking as smelling 'stronger' or 'more like cigarettes' than the other samples,'' concluded Julie Mennella and Gary Beauchamp of the Monell Chemical Senses Centre.

They also confirmed previous research showing nicotine levels in breast milk are dramatically higher 30 minutes after a cigarette is smoked, and taper off after several hours.

``These findings raise the possibility that in addition to the effects of nicotine on the developing brain, early experiences with the flavor of tobacco in breast milk (and perhaps even in amniotic fluid) influence the likelihood that exposed children will find these flavors appealing later in life,'' they said. The two cautioned that their research does not suggest that smokers should stop breastfeeding.

However, they said, ``the knowledge that the milk of mothers who smoke smells and may taste like cigarettes provides an additional reason to stop smoking.''

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Correspondence -- NEJM 1998; 339: 1559-1560 -- November 19, 1998

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