UI researchers: COVID-19 vaccine is safe for mothers
Study says vaccine has no adverse effects on breast milk
University of Idaho researchers found that the COVID-19 vaccine does not have any adverse effects on a mother’s breast milk.
Their study was published in the The Journal of Nutrition and is based on milk samples from women who received the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines, according to UI. Milk from women who were infected with the coronavirus was also tested.
The researchers found the vaccines caused no significant changes in the milk composition. Milk from unvaccinated mothers infected with COVID-19 was noticeably altered.
Shelley McGuire, Mark McGuire and Janet Williams were the UI professors involved in the study. Researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory were also involved in the project.
The three UI researchers had previously been involved in another research project that showed the coronavirus could not be transmitted to newborns through breast milk. They also found the milk provides important COVID-19 antibodies.
Shelley McGuire specializes in maternal and infant nutrition. She became the first active UI faculty member inducted into the National Academy of Medicine in October 2022.
“If women are worried about their milk composition changing, they should try to avoid getting COVID-19 rather than avoiding the vaccine,” she said in a statement.
Federal COVID-19 research dollars were used to fund the study.
Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.
