The Claim

Holder pasteurization at 62.5°C for 30 minutes significantly reduces the DPPH radical scavenging activity of donor human milk by 18.4% (p < 0.001), superoxide radical scavenging activity by 9.1% (p < 0.05), and potassium ferricyanide reducing capacity by 17.4% (p < 0.01), while leaving hydroxyl radical scavenging and iron chelation unchanged, as measured in vitro using eight donor milk samples.

Source: Loss of antioxidant function in donor human milk after holder pasteurization: a pilot study

What the research says

Roughly balanced

Support and challenge are close. The picture may shift as more studies come in.

Supports
7score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Quantitative
1 study reviewed
In plain English

Heating human milk at 62.5°C for 30 minutes reduces its ability to neutralize certain free radicals by specific percentages, as measured in laboratory tests, while not affecting other antioxidant functions.

See the scientific wording

Holder pasteurization at 62.5°C for 30 minutes significantly reduces the DPPH radical scavenging activity of donor human milk by 18.4% (p < 0.001), superoxide radical scavenging activity by 9.1% (p < 0.05), and potassium ferricyanide reducing capacity by 17.4% (p < 0.01), as measured in vitro using eight donor milk samples, indicating a consistent loss of specific antioxidant functions despite preservation of hydroxyl radical scavenging and iron chelation.

Why this might work

Heating human milk destroys certain proteins and molecules that neutralize harmful free radicals, making it less able to fight specific types of oxidative damage, while other protective molecules that bind iron remain intact and continue working.

Verified mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study

  1. Study: Loss of antioxidant function in donor human milk after holder pasteurization: a pilot study

    Heating donor breast milk to kill germs makes it a little less able to fight certain harmful molecules, but it still works just as well against others and still binds iron normally.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

Fit Body Science verdict — we translate health claims into clear verdicts backed by peer-reviewed research.

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