Pleased to share my latest paper showing that #fenugreek does not appear to be any more effective than placebo as a #galactagogue for increasing #breastmilk supply. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6914 …
@hosp_research @RobsInstitute @Flinders @OzBreastfeeding @BFMedicine @BfWendy @Lisa_H_Amir
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Women concerned about their
#breastmilk supply should be encouraged to seek expert#breastfeeding support and advice, rather than resorting to non evidence-based therapies like#fenugreek.@OzBreastfeeding@ILCA19851 reply 1 retweet 7 likesShow this thread -
This paper is an update of a previous meta-analysis published by others in 2017 in
@WileyNews Phytotherapy Research. The original study concluded that#fenugreek was better than placebo, BUT the main finding turned out to be wrong and was due to data extraction errors1 reply 0 retweets 1 likeShow this thread -
The original study (https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.5972 …) said that
#fenugreek increases#breastmilk production by 11 mL (95% CI 7-15) per expression or breast feed. The correct estimate turned out to be −41 mL (−88 to 6). That is, use of fenugreek led to a REDUCTION in breast milk supply.1 reply 0 retweets 1 likeShow this thread -
Despite talking to the original study authors who have acknowledged the major mistake, the journal editors determined there was no need to issue an erratum or retraction as they felt that ‘the key findings did not change substantially’
#EthicsInPublishing1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
In the COVID era, public trust in science has never been more important. It is disappointing that the
@WileyNews journal appears to favour citations over scientific quality. The original paper has over 20 citations and is widely cited in support of#fenugreek1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
Despite scientific evidence refuting any benefits, companies like
@blackmores or@SwisseAU are allowed to continue making misleading statements that#fenugreek ‘helps increase breast milk production’ or ‘stimulates healthy milk flow’ based purely on claims of traditional use.1 reply 0 retweets 2 likesShow this thread -
Surely at some point traditional use claims should be considered invalid if contradicted by scientific evidence. But that is an ongoing problem of regulation within the massive complementary medicine industry.
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Meta-analyses are often regarded as the highest levels of evidence to guide practice, however this provides a salutary lesson that not all can be trusted on face value. Thoughts
@GidMK?1 reply 0 retweets 2 likesShow this thread
Agree wholeheartedly! Meta-analysis is a skill in and of itself and one that can be done poorly or well
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