What

is transferred in the breast

milk?
Vehicle for substances
benecial AND deleterious to
infant health
BENEFICIAL
Healthy Gut Bacteria
An:bodies
Essen:al Nutrients
Taste-Preferences

DELETERIOUS
Viruses
Food Allergens
Caeine
Nico:ne
Alcohol
Mercury

Healthy Gut Bacteria

Underdeveloped system of gut micro-biota at
birth
Idea of Hitchhiking bacteria on white blood
cells via the Enteromammary pathway
Healthy gut bacteria, pre-bio:c
food, and various microbes
establish a healthy gut ora
in infant and help prevent
intes:nal disorders.

An:bodies
Colostrum secre:ng high concentra:ons of
protein and an:bodies
Passive Immunity occurring via placenta
(IgG)before birth, and via breast milk (mostly IgA)
aRer birth.
Essen:al to infant who does not have a fully
developed immune system.
Last un:l infant starts to develop its own immune
system

Essen:al Nutrients
Human breast milk is
uniquely suited for
infant needs.
World Health
Organiza7on
recommends exclusive
breast feeding rst 6
months of life and
con:nued breast
feeding in addi:on to
solid foods for the next
2 years.

Essen:al Nutrients
Proteins
Vital for growth and health of infant body :ssue
Whey (about 60%)
Easier to digest and has beYer infant protec:on
proper:es
Casein (about 40%)
Lactoferrin, Secretory IgA, Lysoszyme, Bidus factor

Essen:al Nutrients
Fats
Essen:al FaYy Acids play role
in brain and vision
development
E.g. Linolenic Acid

Fats necessary for brain

development, absorp:on of
fat-soluble vitamins, and
making a super faYy hind-
milk
Concentra:on in the breast
milk greatly eected by
mothers diet

Essen:al Nutrients
Vitamins and Minerals
Calcium, Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin
D, Iodine, etc..
Vitamin content of breast milk
reects mothers vitamin intake
(vitamin dependent)
Vitamin supplements can raise
vitamin concentra:on in breast
milk

Essen:al Nutrients
Carbohydrates
Lactose is the primary carbohydrate in breast milk
Concentra:on not eected by maternal nutri:on
Insucient carbohydrate intake can result in
diminished milk supply

Taste Preference
Infants begin forming long las:ng dietary-
preferences early in life
Inuences in utero and via breast milk
Certain foods can avor breast milk up to 8
hours.

Experiment done by Julie A. Mennella and Gary

K. Beauchamp on early infant preference.

Outcome: Infants who were previously fed a par:cular formula, drank more of that
formula during the experimenta:on than the alternate formula and control infant
who had only drank milk-based formula were reluctant to hydrolysate formulas.
Eects tended to be long las:ng and children 4-5 years of age who were fed
hydrolysates during infancy exhibited more posi:ve sensory responses to similar
avored solid foods later in life! EARLY EXPOSURE TO FLAVORS CAN EFFECT LONG
TERM PREFERENCE!

VIRUSES
HIV-1 (Human Immunodeciency Virus-1)

Most common virus transmiYed through breast milk

Other viruses that can be transmiYed (level of

virus ac:vity and concentra:on determines
chance of transmission)
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV)
Human T cell leukaemia virus (HTLV)
Herpes viruses
Parvovirus
Hepa77s A, B and C
Rubella

Food Allergens
Infant Immune system
immature at birth

Most common cause for

development of food allergy is
premature introduc:on of
solid foods
Baby only given an:-bodies
against foreign substances in
breast milk

Most commonly developed

infant food allergies:

Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, Tree Nuts,

Fish, Shellsh, Soy and Wheat.

Food Allergy: An
adverse response
to a food protein.

Caeine
When consumed in excess can be
transferred to infant blood stream
Infants under 4 months old have hard :me with
excre:on from their blood stream
Can build up in infants body causing fussiness,
restlessness, and irritability.

Breasgeeding mothers advised

to drink no more than
200 300 mg/day.

Nico:ne
Smoking during breasgeeding has been linked to:
Lowered milk produc:on, early weaning and
problems with milk ejec:on in mother.
Nausea, vomi:ng, abdominal cramps, restlessness
and diarrhea in infant

Nico:ne half-life 90 minutes

Avoid smoking directly before or during

Even 1-2 cigareYes has shown

signicant altera:on of infant
sleeping paYerns.

Alcohol
Limited consump:on (one drink or less/day)
not shown to be harmful to infant during
breasgeeding.
Alcohol consumed in excess can cause
Drowsiness, altered sleep-wake paYerns,
weakness, and abnormal weight gain in infant
Decreased milk-ejec:on
reex in mother.

Alcohol
Alcohol can pass freely into mothers breast milk
and usually peaks
30 60 minutes aRer consump:on (without food)
60 90 minutes aRer consump:on (with food)

For a 120 pound women to eliminate all alcohol

from blood stream it takes
2 3 hours (1 serving beer or wine)
13 hours (1 high alcoholic drink)

Increased likelihood of more posi:ve responses

to alcohol later in life.

Mercury
More of a risk in placental exposure but can
be hazardous in breast milk at high enough
concentra:on
Metals tend to accumulate more in blood than fat

In high enough concentra:ons can harm

developing nervous system of infant!

Mercury
Found in high concentra:ons in certain seafood
High: shark, swordsh, :lesh, and mackerel
Low: salmon, ounder, :lapia, trout, Pollock and cagish