Safety of linseed oil whilst bf?

[ITryToBeZenBut]

Hello

Not the most exciting of topics but I was hoping for a little help if anyone has any knowledge/can offer any advice on the safety of linseed oil whilst breastfeeding.

I am a veggie and am breastfeeding my 11 week old baby boy who is happily gaining weight very well and is a lovely chubby cheeked little cherub. I have been taking linseed oil twice daily for the last few weeks as I've been suffering with dry skin since after the birth and a return of my eczema which disappeared during my pregnancy but is now back with a vengence. Linseed oil has made a huge difference in the past due to the omegas within it, I think.

However. today someone has suggested to me that linseed oil is not recommended whilst bf. Nothing of substance or detail provided as to why it might be a problem, just a that I was taking it. I've done a quick search on google and there seems to be some concern that it may not be safe whilst bf as it might impact hormones but it seems to be more of a case of 'we don't know'.

I'm just a bit worried now as it hadn't occured to me even that it would be anything other than a positive thing to take. I don't want to do anything that might affect my milk for the baby but am reluctant to give up something that makes such a huge difference to my skin which may actually be beneficial to us both without understanding more so was hoping someone could shed some light or knew something more about the safety of the oil?

Thanks

Something to do with hormones could indicate that it could affect supply. If so you can safely carry on taking it if it hasn't affected supply so far. For example the combined contraceptive pill is not recommended while bf not because it's harmful to the baby per se. It's not recommended because one of the hormones can affect milk supply quite significantly.
HTH

Never heard of this before. Where I come from you are encouraged to add linseed to your food after giving birth in order to get your digestion going. you are also forbidden to give children pulses before 12 months as this will kill them

Hello - Linseeds contain a type of phyto-oestrogen, and phyto-oestrogens are known to increase the growth of milk ducts within the breast. It is not yet clear whether this increases or reduces the risk of later breast cancer, and research is still ongoing (see here if you want more detailed info).

However... linseed oil does not usually contain these phyto-oestrogens, as they come from the 'husk' bit of the seed, and so are normally left behind during oil extraction. (proviso - it would probably be difficult to find out for certain whether your particular brand adds these back in during the manufacturing process - they sometimes do this as it helps to stop the oil going off).

So, assuming you are consuming a low-moderate intake of linseed oil (I'm guessing a few small capsules a day?) it is not something I would worry about in the grand scheme of things. While it is true that linseeds are a rich source of dietary phyto-oestrogens, they are also found in beans, vegetables and fruit, and no-one would say anything if you were eating lots of prunes to help with other issues!

HTH.

Thanks for the replies and for explaining some of the science milkjetmum. I do only take a couple of teaspoons of oil a day so not large doses and quite relieved to understand more as it's been such a life saver for my skin.

Had no idea the phyto-oestrogens were in other foods like prunes which I hate with a vengence so no risk of overdoing on those :)