Effect of brewers’ yeast or beta-glucan derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae on breast milk supply following preterm birth: The BLOOM randomised controlled trial
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Objective
Breast milk is the optimal source of nutrition for preterm infants, however, low breast milk production is common following a preterm birth. This study aimed to determine if taking brewers’ yeast or beta-glucan improves daily expressed breast milk volume.
Design
Randomised, blinded, parallel, placebo-controlled trial.
Setting
Three Australian tertiary level neonatal units.
Patients
Mothers with a singleton or twin pregnancy who gave birth at less than 34 weeks’ gestation.
Interventions
Mothers were randomised within 72 hours of birth into three parallel groups in 1:1:1 ratio to receive either brewers’ yeast, beta-glucan or placebo capsules for seven days.
Main outcome measure
Total expressed breast milk volume over a 24-hour period on day seven of intervention.
Results
A total of 105 mothers underwent randomisation between August 2022 and April 2024 (36 brewers’ yeast, 35 beta-glucan, and 34 placebo). The adjusted mean difference in daily expressed breast milk volume was 94 mL/day (95% CI -51 to 239 mL/day) between the brewers’ yeast and placebo groups, and -25 mL/day (95% CI -173 to 123 mL/day) between the beta-glucan and placebo groups. Maternal side effects were similar across groups.
Conclusion
We found no clear effect of short-term administration of brewers’ yeast or beta-glucan on breast-milk production following preterm birth; both interventions were well tolerated. Given the small sample size, these findings do not rule out the possibility of a clinically meaningful benefit of brewers’ yeast and suggest further research with a larger sample size may be warranted to clarify the potential clinical impact.
Trial registration number
ACTRN12622000968774.
Key messages
What is already known on this topic
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Foods rich in beta-glucan, which includes brewers’ yeast derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and used in beer-making, are widely promoted based on anecdotal reports to increase breast milk production
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No randomised controlled trials have evaluated the efficacy or safety of brewers’ yeast or beta-glucan supplements for increasing breast milk production following preterm birth.
What this study adds
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This randomised trial provides the first controlled data on brewers’ yeast and beta-glucan derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae in comparison to placebo.
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Evidence supporting the efficacy of routine brewers’ yeast administration on improving breast milk production following preterm birth remains inconclusive, with a clinically meaningful impact unable to be ruled out. In contrast, the findings suggest beta-glucan alone appears to be unlikely to produce a meaningful difference in breast milk production.
How this study might affect research, practice or policy
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Findings support the need for larger trials, with a potentially longer intervention period, to provide definitive evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of using brewers’ yeast as a galactagogue and reinforce the importance of rigorous evaluation before advocating clinical use.
