ABSTRACT
Lactation can be compromised by deficiencies in either dietary protein or food energy, and in many developing countries, breast feeding is not totally satisfactory due to diminished milk production. In countries where breast-milk production appears to be less than desirable, the maternal diet is usually deficient in dietary protein and/or food energy. This chapter aims to review what is known about the role of dietary protein in promoting optimum lactation. Protein synthesis is of crucial importance during lactation, not only to synthesize milk protein, but also to synthesize all the enzymes needed for protein, lactose, and fat synthesis, and to synthesize lactalbumin, which is specifically needed for lactose synthesis. In developing countries, birth weights are low, infant mortality rates are high, lactation is marginal, parity is high, and growth stunting is common during infancy and early life, leading to mature women of shorter stature and most likely less-well-developed mammary glands.
