Welcome to Francisca Ngenda Kabombo at the PhAN Laboratory!

Because of its health benefits for both mother and infant, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization up to the age of 6 months. However, the worldwide prevalence of breastfeeding remains relatively low, mainly due to early cessation caused by mothers‘ perception that they are producing insufficient milk for their babies’ optimal growth. Although there are many factors that determine the production of breast milk, taking nutritional supplements called galactagogues, which by definition stimulate lactation, could help women who have difficulty breastfeeding, while improving the nutritional quality of breast milk and the health of their infant.

Many galactagogues are used by breastfeeding women, most often plant extracts. In France, fenugreek is the most widely used. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, plant extracts are recommended by the family environment, but their use, inspired by ancestral practices, is still poorly known. Our hypothesis is that galactologue supplementation, during gestation and/or lactation, orients the mammary gland towards a secretory phenotype, improves lactation, the flow of milk from the mother to her offspring (measured by analysing the kinetics of deuterium in the mother and her offspring after ingestion of a dose of deuterated water), and the nutritional composition of the mother's milk, and finally improves the nutritional and immunological status of the offspring.

Contacts : clair-yves.boquien@univ-nantes.fr and khadija.ouguerram@univ-nantes.fr

Co-supervision : Pr. Paul Mobinzo (Université Nouveaux Horizons, Lubumbashi, RDC)