Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41422601›Full record

ReviewEBioMedicine2026

Breastfeeding, bonding, and olfaction: unlocking the potential of mother-infant odour exchange.

S Craig Roberts, Fabrice Damon, Karine Durand, Jan Havlíček, Dimitrios Kourtis, Ben Langford, Agnieszka Sorokowska, Piotr Sorokowski, Vivien Swanson, Jonathan Williams and 14 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in EBioMedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

S Craig RobertsSchool of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK; Being Human Lab, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland. Electronic address: craig.roberts@stir.ac.uk.
Fabrice DamonDevelopment of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Laboratory, Université Bourgogne Europe, Institut Agro, CNRS, INR.AE, UMR CSGA, 21000 Dijon, France.
Karine DurandDevelopment of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Laboratory, Université Bourgogne Europe, Institut Agro, CNRS, INR.AE, UMR CSGA, 21000 Dijon, France.
Jan HavlíčekDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Dimitrios KourtisSchool of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
Ben LangfordUK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik, UK.
Agnieszka SorokowskaInstitute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
Piotr SorokowskiInstitute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
Vivien SwansonSchool of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
Jonathan WilliamsMax Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
Tatjana Arnoldi-MeadowsMax Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
Dylan BrimaudDevelopment of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Laboratory, Université Bourgogne Europe, Institut Agro, CNRS, INR.AE, UMR CSGA, 21000 Dijon, France.
Daniela DlouháDepartment of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Lucie JelínkováDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Šárka KaňkováDepartment of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Lenka KapicováDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Alice C PoirierDevelopment of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Laboratory, Université Bourgogne Europe, Institut Agro, CNRS, INR.AE, UMR CSGA, 21000 Dijon, France.
Kateřina RobertsSchool of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
Justus C SanderMax Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
Dagmar SchwambergováDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Michaela SilvestriSchool of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
Nijing WangMax Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
Emmanuel SimonObstetrics and Foetal Medicine, Université Bourgogne Europe, Dijon, France.
Benoist SchaalDevelopment of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Laboratory, Université Bourgogne Europe, Institut Agro, CNRS, INR.AE, UMR CSGA, 21000 Dijon, France.

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Breastfeeding is crucial for infant survival, growth, and health, and it enhances maternal-infant bonding and well-being. However, breastfeeding rates typically fall below international targets, partly due to a high prevalence of latching difficulties, intermittent sucking, refusing the breast, or poor milk supply. Here, we propose that such uniquely human difficulties might be ameliorated by recognising, understanding, and facilitating the olfactory mechanisms that, in other mammals, regulate breastfeeding initiation and maternal-infant relationships in the first weeks of life. We briefly review evidence that odour mediates nipple-searching and suckling behaviour in other species, summarise the comparable evidence in humans, and outline pathways that could potentially reap hitherto unrealised benefits of olfactory communication between human mothers and neonates. We argue that enhanced awareness of such odour exchange could inform and enable changes in both policy and practice that might improve breastfeeding success and maternal-infant bonding, ultimately contributing to reduced infant mortality worldwide.

Indexed as

Breast FeedingMother-Child RelationsObject AttachmentOdorantsSmellAnimalsFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornAttachmentBreastfeedingOlfactory communicationPerinatal careSkin-to-skinSmell

Identifiers

PMID41422601
PMCPMC12795994

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.