Study finds mRNA from Covid vaccines in milk of breastfeeding mothers

A new study has found presence of mRNA from Covid vaccines in the milk of breastfeeding mothers upto 45 hours after they received the vaccine. The study, reported by The Epoch Times, has been published in journal Lancet. Seventy per cent of breast milk samples analysed in the study were found to contain the mRNA from the vaccines.

The study was reportedly published in the Lancet earlier this month.

It was found during the study that although the detected mRNA was largely fragmented, it retained 12 to 25 per cent of its original integrity. The researchers have said that more studies are required to ascertain the minimum amount of mRNA that may trigger immune response in newborns.

Breast milk samples were collected from 13 healthy postpartum, lactating women before as well as after the vaccination. The samples after vaccination were collected at least twice daily for five days. Seven women provided samples after first and second vaccine doses. This means that there were 20 total vaccine exposures and 154 breast milk samples.

Researchers then examined vaccine mRNA in whole breast milk and breast milk extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are released by cells. They are small delivery vehicles carrying biomolecules such as lipids, proteins, microRNA, noncoding RNA, messenger RNA and DNA. Large amount of EVs are present in breast milk and they regulate gene expression, infant growth and development and immune function.

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The 13 lactating women had received either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. It was found that trace mRNA amounts were present in 10 to 20 exposures up to 45 hours after vaccination. The study said that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was not expressed.

All participating women tested negative for Covid before collection of milk samples. The samples collected before vaccination reportedly were negative for Covid-19 vaccine.

“Our proposed model suggests that after intramuscular administration, the vaccine mRNA enclosed in lipid nanoparticles is transported to the mammary glands through either hematogenous or lymphatic pathways,” the researchers wrote, as reported by The Epoch Times “Within the mammary cells’ cytosol, a portion of the released vaccine mRNA is recruited and packaged into the developing extracellular vesicles, which are then released into the breast milk.”

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The research is significant in a sense that its scope goes beyond mRNA Covid vaccines. The researchers reportedly say the study offers "valuable insights into the transport and presence of vaccine mRNA in breast milk, which can be relevant for assessing the safety and efficacy of future mRNA-based therapies administered to lactating women."

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