Mucosal Immunity and Liver Metabolism in the Complex Condition of Lactation Insufficiency.
Betts CB, Quackenbush A, Anderson W, Marshall NE, Schedin [...]
Human Breast Milk: Bioactive Components, from Stem Cells to Health Outcomes.
This review provides a brief overview of current knowledge of growth factors (GF) and stem cells (SC) in breastmilk. While recent discoveries are exciting and suggest great potential for using breastmilk research to increase our understanding of infant development and even to provide potential therapies, at this stage much is speculative.
Colostrum. Dr Alison Stacey, MBBS (Hons) BMedSci DCH DRANZCOG FRACGP Cert IV Breastfeeding Education IBCLC Dip Breastfeeding Management
Colostrum plays a unique role in the transition of the baby to extra-uterine life. It differs from mature breastmilk in a number of ways. Colostrum is a concentrated source of protein, sodium and immunoglobulins (Brodribb 2019). Lower carbohydrate (lactose) levels result in lower volumes; whereas in mature breastmilk, lactose acts osmotically to draw water into the milk (Brodribb 2019). Colostrum also has a laxative effect, helping baby to pass meconium (Brodribb 2019). Secretory IgA, lactoferrin and maternal lymphocytes provide a source of passive immunity to complement that provided via the placenta (Wambach 2016). Human milk oligosaccharides promote the colonisation of baby’s intestinal system with bifidobacteria and act as decoys to prevent infection by pathogens (Wambach 2016).
