The richness of female food ingredients influences the development of infants by providing them not only with valuable nutritional values, but also supports the immune system by modulating the activity of genes in the intestines of babies, the scientists report in the journal Nature.
In recent years, interest in breastfeeding has increased significantly. In the latest issue of Nature, Anna Petherick, a journalist from Spain, analyzed the available scientific publications and described the state of knowledge about the composition of breast milk and the benefits of breastfeeding.
For many years, the unquestionable nutritional value of human milk and its important role in feeding infants and strengthening the immune system of children have been known. Preliminary studies show that breast milk influences the activity of genes in the cells of the gut in babies.
Scientists compared RNA expression in formula-fed (MM) and breast-fed infants and found differences in the activity of several important genes that control the expression of many others.
Interestingly, it also turned out that there are differences between the food of mothers of nursing sons and daughters – boys receive milk from their breasts significantly richer in fats and proteins than girls. There are even ingredients completely devoid of nutritional value for infants in human milk, serving only to grow the correct flora of friendly intestinal bacteria.
Thanks to new techniques of molecular biology research and evolutionary research, we learn that human milk, apart from being food for babies, is also a transmitter of signals important for children’s development. (PAP)