Abstract
Human milk is considered the most advantageous source of nourishment for infants. Even though there is no ideal composition of human milk, it still contains a unique combination of components that contribute to brain development. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the possible correlation of human milk with the neurodevelopment of infants, with a special emphasis on myelination and epigenetic modifications. Research in human milk is a rapidly expanding field and cutting-edge technologies might contribute to identify specific mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects on human milk on neurodevelopment.
Highlights
Breastfeeding and human milk (HM) are the regulatory standards for newborn feeding
Even though there is no ideal composition of human milk, it still contains a unique combination of components that contribute to brain development
The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the possible correlation of human milk with the neurodevelopment of infants, with a special emphasis on myelination and epigenetic modifications
Summary
Breastfeeding and human milk (HM) are the regulatory standards for newborn feeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, followed by another year or longer of breastfeeding in combination with the introduction of complementary foods [1]. Many studies have shown that HM helps the neurodevelopment of both term and preterm babies and these benefits may stem from the different composition of HM compared to artificial infant formula [5,6]. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the composition of human milk and its changes in the stages of breastfeeding, describing the differences in the composition of HM for full-term and pre-term infants. Based on current knowledge, we have provided an overview of the possible correlation of HM components with the neurodevelopment of the infants, describing all HM components that might be involved in this process. Further studies are needed to identify specific mechanisms of action of components of human milk involved in the neurodevelopment of the infants
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