Breastfeeding: Importance in Early Development of the Immune System and Long-term Health

Abstract

Breastfeeding supplies the baby and infant with unparalleled natural nutrients. Human breast milk also has several antimicrobial agents and may influence immune system development, as evidenced by prior research on newborn immunisation response and thymus gland development. Human milk is a dynamic supply of nutrients and bioactive ingredients and promotes the healthy growth and development of the human newborn. Infants are more susceptible to infection because their developing immune systems have a number of weaknesses. This review focuses on the direct effect of human milk on innate immunity in infants. Numerous new studies have made the multi-functionality of the bioactive components of human milk very clear. Our knowledge of the potential positive effects of human milk on infants has increased. These effects are not achievable with milk formulae. Human milk contains antimicrobial proteins and peptides that have a broader involvement in innate immune defence than previously thought. A complex combination of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative substances that human milk supplies to the intestine results in a special environment of improved immune defence with reduced inflammation.