Acute Moderate-Intensity Postpartum Exercise Does Not Elicit Exercise-Specific Changes in Human Milk Immune-Regulatory Proteins

Abstract Human milk carries immune-regulatory proteins that influence infant immune development, but whether acute maternal exercise alters this profile is unknown. Whole milk from nine women was analyzed for 75 immune-regulatory and cytokine proteins before and after time-matched sedentary and moderate-intensity exercise visits. Although nine proteins increased post-exercise, the sedentary condition induced similar effects, and no condition-by-time interactions were detected, demonstrating no exercise-specific effect on human milk immune-regulatory protein profile.