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Immune factors in human milk
According to the Iowa Extension Service, every teaspoon of breastmilk has 3,000,000 germ killing cells in it; so if a baby gets even one tsp. a day, it is very valuable! .. it has been shown in man and in several animal models that immunisation via the gut, and also the lungs, stimulates a special population of antibody-producing B lymphocytes. They appear in large numbers in special aggregations in the gut - the Peyer's patches. These lymphocytes leave the gut after having met bacteria and viruses there and move or "home" to exocrine glands such as the mammary, lacrimal and salivary glands, as well as glands in the mucosal membranes of the bronchi and the gut. As a consequence, human milk contains sIgA antibodies against all those bacteria and viruses which have been in the mother's gut. This gives the milk capacity to protect against those microorganisms to which the infant is exposed, because they are usually the same as those its mother has been in contact with. Some of the immune factors in breastmilk have been shown to increase in concentration as the baby gets older and nurses less, so older babies still receive lots of immune factors. So as a baby starts to nurse less (weaning) and milk supply decreases, the concentration of immunities increases. This isn't age-dependent, but depends on the amount of milk that baby is removing from the breast. [source: Goldman AS et al. "Immunologic components in human milk during weaning." Acta Paediatr Scand. 1983 Jan;72(1):133-4.]
Additional InformationDo mom's vaccines
protect her breastfed baby? @ Can Breastfeeding Prevent Illnesses? LLLI FAQ How Breast Milk Protects Newborns by Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC Field CJ. The immunological components of human milk and their effect on immune development in infants. J Nutr. 2005 Jan;135(1):1-4. Human Milk and the Prevention of Infection by Benjamin Estrada, MD, from Infect Med 2003;20(6):270. Immunological Protection by Kathryn Orlinsky, PhD Immune Benefits of Breast Milk at a Glance by Robert J. Huskey The Newborn Immune System and Immunological Benefits of Breastmilk (excerpts from textbooks) Goldman AS, Chheda S, and Garofalo R. Evolution of Immunologic Functions of the Mammary Gland and the Postnatal Development of Immunity. Pediatric Research (February 1998):43(2). Human milk - Tables of the antimicrobial factors and microbiological contaminants relevant to human milk banking (with continued updating) by Dr. John T. May, PhD Anti-inflammatory characteristics of human milk: how, where, why by E. Stephen Buescher, MD, from Adv Exp Med Biol. 2001;501:207-22. Cytokines in Human Milk: Mean Concentrations and Potential Functions Enteric and Respiratory Pathogens Commonly Targeted By Secretory IgA Antibodies Found in Human Milk Anti-Inflammatory Components in Human Milk Immune Factors in Human Milk that Compensate for Delayed Production in Infants Dai D, Walker WA. Protective nutrients and bacterial colonization in the immature human gut. Adv Pediatr 1999;46:353-82. Goldman AS. Modulation of the gastrointestinal tract of infants by human milk. Interfaces and interactions. An evolutionary perspective. J Nutr 2000 Feb;130(2S Suppl):426S-431S. The Benefits Throughout Life of Breastfeeding with Emphasis on the Role of Glycoconjugates by Tom Gardiner, PhD and Jane Ramberg, MS, from Glycoscience and Nutrition 2000 August;1(26):1-5. Importance of Glycoconjugates in Breastfeeding and Early Nutrition by Tom Gardiner, PhD, from Glycoscience and Nutrition 2000 July;1(23):1-10. Kirsi-Marjut Järvinen. Human Milk Immunology in Relation to the Development of Cow's Milk Allergy in the Breast-fed. Academic Dissertation, September 2000. University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Skin and Allergy Hospital, Department of Dermatology.
How the Immune System DevelopsDevelopment of the Immune System by Mike Gunderloy Biology of the Immune System from The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
Page last modified:
08/22/2005
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