The Biology of Breast Milk
Getting a Good Start on Nutrition
You may have heard that breast milk is best. But what makes it so good for babies? Breast milk fills your baby’s health needs. Researchers are now learning more about what’s in it and how it changes as babies grow.
“Breastfeeding is the gold standard for feeding infants,” says Dr. Dan Raiten, an NIH expert on childhood nutrition. Human milk provides nutrients and other compounds that babies need to grow and develop. These include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Experts recommend that infants drink human milk exclusively for the first six months of life. If possible, they should continue drinking human milk, from the breast or that’s been pumped and placed in a bottle, for up to 12 months. Parents can add in other foods starting around six months.
Breastfeeding (sometimes called chestfeeding) lowers an infant’s risk for developing asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes, ear infections, gut infections that cause diarrhea or vomiting, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It also benefits the mother, potentially lowering her risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. It helps the parent-infant bonding process, too.
Human milk also provides infants with protection from germs. A baby’s The system that protects your body from invading viruses, bacteria, and other microscopic threats. is not yet developed. So they don’t have many germ-fighting molecules, called antibodies. Breast milk passes the mother’s antibodies to the baby. This helps protect the child from germs until their immune system develops.
Breast milk contains many other biologically active components, too. “Human milk is not just a composite of individual components,” Raiten says. “It’s an active biological system.” The lactating (milk-producing) parent and infant interact and affect one another. That means what’s in human milk can change, even over the course of the day.
Take the molecules that regulate your body’s biological clocks, or circadian clocks. Your body has different amounts of these depending on the time of day. They signal when it’s time to wake, eat, and sleep. These are passed along to the baby through breast milk.
Researchers are just beginning to understand how milk composition affects babies’ short-term and long-term health. To learn more, NIH started the BEGIN project. This project is trying to untangle the biology behind milk production, how milk affects babies’ development, and how babies and their environment influence this system.
Some lactating parents don’t produce enough milk or may have physical issues that block milk from coming out. Others may be advised against breastfeeding if they’re taking certain medications or drugs or when they have certain illnesses.
For those who can’t breastfeed, formula is an option. “Formula is based on our best knowledge about the composition of human milk,” Raiten says. And that knowledge continues to evolve.
“If you can do it, breastfeeding is the best way to take care of your baby,” says Raiten. If you’re having trouble, talk with your health care provider.
NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison
Building 31, Room 5B52
Bethesda, MD 20892-2094
Editor: Harrison Wein, Ph.D.
Managing Editor: Tianna Hicklin, Ph.D.
Illustrator: Alan Defibaugh
Attention Editors: Reprint our articles and illustrations in your own publication. Our material is not copyrighted. Please acknowledge NIH News in Health as the source and send us a copy.
Biolojia ya Maziwa ya Mama Kuanza vizuri juu ya Lishe Huenda umesikia kwamba maziwa ya mama ni bora zaidi. Lakini ni nini kinachofanya iwe nzuri sana kwa watoto wachanga? Maziwa ya mama hutimiza mahitaji ya afya ya mtoto wako. Sasa watafiti wanajifunza mengi kuhusu kile kilicho ndani yake na jinsi inavyobadilika watoto wanapokua. "Kulisha watoto kwa mama ni kiwango cha juu cha kulisha watoto wachanga", asema Dakt. Dan Raiten, mtaalamu wa lishe ya watoto katika Taasisi ya Afya ya Kitaifa. Maziwa ya mama hutoa virutubisho na misombo mingine ambayo watoto wanahitaji ili kukua na kusitawi. Hizi zinatia ndani protini, mafuta, wanga, vitamini, na madini. Wataalamu wanapendekeza kwamba watoto wachanga wanywe maziwa ya binadamu pekee kwa miezi sita ya kwanza ya maisha. Ikiwa inawezekana, wanapaswa kuendelea kunywa maziwa ya binadamu, kutoka kwa kifua au ambayo imepumua na kuwekwa katika chupa, kwa hadi miezi 12. Wazazi wanaweza kuongeza vyakula vingine kuanzia miezi sita hivi. Kunyonyesha (wakati mwingine huitwa kunyonyesha) hupunguza hatari ya mtoto kupata ugonjwa wa pumu, unene wa kupita kiasi, ugonjwa wa kisukari wa aina ya 1, maambukizo ya sikio, maambukizo ya matumbo ambayo husababisha kuhara au kutapika, na ugonjwa wa kifo cha ghafla cha mtoto mchanga (SIDS). Pia, inasaidia mama, kwa sababu inaweza kupunguza hatari yake ya kupatwa na shinikizo la damu la juu, ugonjwa wa kisukari wa aina ya 2, kansa ya yai, na kansa ya matiti. Pia husaidia katika mchakato wa kuunganisha wazazi na mtoto. Maziwa ya mama pia huweka kinga kwa watoto wachanga dhidi ya vijidudu. Mtoto ni mfumo unaolinda mwili wako usishambuliwe na virusi, bakteria, na vitisho vingine vidogo-vidogo. bado haijaendelezwa. Kwa hiyo hazina molekuli nyingi za kupambana na vimelea, zinazoitwa kingamwili. Maziwa ya mama hupitisha kingamwili za mama kwa mtoto. Hii husaidia kumlinda mtoto dhidi ya vijidudu hadi mfumo wake wa kinga utakapokua. Maziwa ya mama yana viungo vingine vingi vyenye utendaji wa kibiolojia. "Maziwa ya binadamu si mchanganyiko wa vipengele vya pekee", Raiten asema. <unk>Ni mfumo wa kibiolojia wenye shughuli nyingi.<unk> Mzazi anayetoa maziwa (mzazi anayetoa maziwa) na mtoto huingiliana na kuathiriwa na kila mmoja. Hiyo inamaanisha kile kilicho katika maziwa ya binadamu kinaweza kubadilika, hata katika siku. Kwa mfano, kuna molekuli ambazo husimamia saa za mwili, au saa za circadian. Mwili wako una kiasi tofauti cha vitu hivyo kulingana na wakati wa siku. Wao hutoa ishara wakati wa kuamka, kula, na kulala. Hizi hupitishwa kwa mtoto kupitia maziwa ya mama. Watafiti wanaanza tu kuelewa jinsi maumbile ya maziwa yanavyoathiri afya ya watoto kwa muda mfupi na kwa muda mrefu. Ili kujifunza zaidi, NIH ilianzisha mradi wa BEGIN. Mradi huu unajaribu kufunua biolojia ya uzalishaji wa maziwa, jinsi maziwa yanavyoathiri ukuaji wa watoto wachanga, na jinsi watoto wachanga na mazingira yao yanavyoathiri mfumo huu. Baadhi ya wazazi wanaonyonyesha hawazalishi maziwa ya kutosha au wanaweza kuwa na matatizo ya kimwili ambayo huzuia maziwa kutoka nje. Wengine wanaweza kushauriwa wasinyamaze ikiwa wanatumia dawa fulani au dawa fulani au wanapokuwa na magonjwa fulani. Kwa wale ambao hawawezi kunyonyesha, formula ni chaguo. "Formula inategemea ujuzi wetu bora kuhusu muundo wa maziwa ya binadamu", Raiten anasema. Na ujuzi huo unaendelea kubadilika. "Ikiwa unaweza kufanya hivyo, kunyonyesha ni njia bora ya kumtunza mtoto wako", anasema Raiten. Ikiwa una matatizo, zungumza na mtoa huduma yako ya afya. Ofisi ya Mawasiliano na Mawasiliano ya Umma ya NIH, Jumba 31 (Bethesda, MD, 2089-2094) Mhariri Mtendaji: Tiana Hicklin, Ph.D. Mfano: Alan Defibaugh Uangalifu Mhariri: Tafsiri upya makala zetu na picha katika uchapishaji wako mwenyewe. Vifaa vyetu havina haki za uchapaji. Tafadhali kumbuka NIH News in Health kama chanzo na kutupelekea nakala.