Breast Milk Content

Making Human Breast Milk Sugars in Plants

Andy Fell — June 13, 2024 - 11:17am

About three in four babies worldwide drink infant formula in the first six months of life, either as their sole source of nutrition or as a supplement to breastfeeding. But while formula provides an essential food for growing babies, it currently does not replicate the full nutritional profile of breast milk.

The Dark Matter of Food: Uncovering the Structures of Carbohydrates

Andy Fell — May 16, 2023 - 1:56pm

We’ve all heard the advice: “Eat more fiber.”

But the reality behind that seemingly simple recommendation is much more complex when it comes to human health. While consumption of dietary fiber has been associated with decreased risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and certain gastrointestinal disorders, honing in on how specific fibers — or more broadly, carbohydrates — from different foods affect the gut microbiome and thus human health remains a black box.

How Do We Achieve Better Breastfeeding Policies?

Maria Magdalena Martinez Castro — May 23, 2022 - 10:08am

We have neglected nursing parents in economic policy, and we have turned a blind eye to the political economy of breastmilk, says 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Professor Kadee Russ.

How Gut Microbes Promote Antibodies in Breast Milk

Andy Fell — September 08, 2021 - 8:01am

Breast milk contains antibodies, especially a type called immunoglobulin A or IgA, that prevent gastrointestinal problems and promote survival and well-being in infants. A new study led by Tomonori Nochi at Tohoku University in Japan, with Professor Russell Hovey at the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Department of Animal Science, shows how microbes in the gut are connected to IgA in breast milk.

Can the Right Probiotic Work for Breast Milk-Fed Babies?

Amy M Quinton — March 24, 2021 - 8:30am

Breast milk-fed babies given the probiotic B. infantis plays a valuable role in a healthy digestive system. The probiotic will persist in the baby's gut for up to one year.

Bifidobacteria Supplement Colonizes Gut of Breastfed Infants

Andy Fell — June 09, 2018 - 4:44pm

Supplementing breastfed infants with activated Bifidobacterium infantis (B. infantis) bacteria had a positive impact on babies’ gut microbes for up to a year, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Evolve BioSystems Inc.

Milk protein comparison unveils nutritional gems for developing babies

IET WebDev — March 16, 2015 - 10:15am

Human babies appear to need more of a nutritional boost from breast-milk proteins than do infants of one of their closest primate relatives, suggests a study comparing human milk with the milk of rhesus macaque monkeys.

The research team, led by the University of California, Davis, came to this conclusion after developing a new technique for comparing the proteome — all detectable proteins — of human milk with the proteome of the rhesus macaque monkey.