New Study Reveals a High Concentration of SAMe in Breast Milk

The group of researchers, among them Teodoro Bottiglieri, one of the leading scientists in the one-carbon metabolism field and Head of the Center of Metabolomics (Dallas, TX), discovered that the SAMe levels in maternal and adult plasma are not significantly different, suggesting that the high SAMe content observed in milk is derived from breast tissue and not circulating plasma.

SAMe is the principal methyl-group donor in metabolic pathways. Given its high concentration in breast milk, it is tempting to speculate that SAMe may be a crucial nutrient in infant growth and development and may play an essential role during early stages of life.

SAMe is required for most transmethylation reactions in the organism, including phosphatidylcholine, polyamine, and carnitine biosynthesis, as well as DNA and protein methylation.
Phosphatidylcholine is an important metabolite in breast milk for neurodevelopment.

Moreover, the study highlights that the concentration of SAMe in breast milk is close to peak plasma concentrations following oral administration of enteric-coated SAMe-tosylate tablets.
This may provide some assurance that levels of breast milk SAMe may not increase substantially after oral supplementation.

Even though further studies are required to determine the effect of repeated chronic oral supplementation of SAMe, these data are particularly important as breastfeeding mothers may use oral SAMe supplementation to help to avoid post-partum depression, as standard
antidepressant therapies are viewed as being harmful to the infant.

Moreover, the study conclusion highlights the need to better investigate the role of SAMe in breast milk and opens the venue for revision of milk formula compositions.