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Review
. 2023 Feb;47(1):151690.
doi: 10.1016/j.semperi.2022.151690. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

Shaping infant development from the inside out: Bioactive factors in human milk

Sarah F Andres  1 , Brian Scottoline  2 , Misty Good  3
Affiliations
Review

Shaping infant development from the inside out: Bioactive factors in human milk

Sarah F Andres et al. Semin Perinatol. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Human breast milk is the optimal nutrition for all infants and is comprised of many bioactive and immunomodulatory components. The components in human milk, such as probiotics, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), extracellular vesicles, peptides, immunoglobulins, growth factors, cytokines, and vitamins, play a critical role in guiding neonatal development beyond somatic growth. In this review, we will describe the bioactive factors in human milk and discuss how these factors shape neonatal immunity, the intestinal microbiome, intestinal development, and more from the inside out.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures:

The authors report no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Human milk is a dynamic and customized biological system fueling infant growth and development.
Human milk is a superfood teaming with proteins, peptides, cytokines, growth factors, lipids, vitamins, oligosaccharides and glycans, bacteria, immune cells, immunoglobulins, hormones, and extracellular vesicles all produced, absorbed, or packaged within the mammary gland. This diet is matched to the infant’s needs as best as the mother is able, based on her nutritional status, health, genetics, and the environment. Figure created with https://biorender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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