Salt preference of nursing mothers is associated with earlier cessation of exclusive breastfeeding

Successful breastfeeding is predicated on its initial success. Salt appetite during lactation may be relevant to breastfeeding success because sodium is essential for development of foetus and neonate. Here we examined whether maternal salt preference might facilitate breastfeeding. Nursing mothers (n = 327) were categorized as high, medium or low salt preferring, and the relationship to persistence of exclusive breastfeeding during the first 25 days postnatal was evaluated. Contrary to expectation, we find that mothers with low salt preference persisted in breastfeeding beyond day 7 postnatal in comparison to mothers with high salt preference, and mothers with high salt preference had the shortest exclusive breastfeeding duration up to postnatal day 25. Awareness of this among health workers and nursing mothers could contribute to successful breastfeeding.