Breastfeeding is one of the oldest and, at the same time, most relevant issues in modern medicine. Despite the development of technology and the emergence of adapted formulas, science confirms every year: there is no substitute for breast milk. It is not just food, but a complex adaptive biological system that changes to meet the child's needs according to their stages of development. Read what science says in this UNN report.
More than just nutrition
Breast milk is a unique combination of macro- and micronutrients, hormones, antibodies, growth factors, and live immune system cells. Most surprisingly, its composition changes not only with the child's age but even during a single feeding—from the more liquid "foremilk," rich in lactose, to the fattier "hindmilk."
New research indicates that the bioactive components and microbiome of breast milk vary between day and night feedings, modulating the infant's metabolism and immune function in accordance with circadian rhythms.
Colostrum plays a special role—it is the milk produced in the first days after birth. Thick, yellowish, and saturated with immunoglobulins, it forms the newborn's first line of defense against pathogens even before their own immune system has time to form.
Scientists have found that children who were breastfed have a lower risk of developing respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, asthma, allergic rhinitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, type 1 diabetes, and obesity. The protective effect does not disappear when breastfeeding stops.
A study published in the journal Nutrients showed that children who were breastfed for at least six months demonstrate better cognitive performance and academic results well into adolescence. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, found in breast milk directly affect neuronal myelination and the development of the brain's white matter.
The importance of breast milk for premature infants
A separate topic is necrotizing enterocolitis, one of the most dangerous diseases in premature infants. Oligosaccharides contained in breast milk support the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and prevent the attachment of pathogenic flora.
But what to do if, for one reason or another, milk is unavailable?
For many centuries, the practice of wet nursing existed. Today, there are specialized institutions for the preservation and use of breast milk to feed infants, particularly those born prematurely. For example, a Breast Milk Bank operates in the capital based at the Kyiv Perinatal Center.
Milk in such institutions is carefully monitored and processed. Only a healthy woman who is in the lactation period and has undergone the appropriate examination can become a donor.
When maternal milk is unavailable, the WHO recommends pasteurized donor human milk as the first alternative for feeding, especially for prematurely born children.
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