Proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals… We are not talking about a healthy diet or a course of food supplements, but rather about the composition of breast milk. Beneficial for the health of babies, it can reduce inflammation, kill pathogens or improve the health of the immune system. Consequently, it is studied to fight against several diseases in adults, such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, or irritable bowel syndrome.
While “it is difficult to give an exact composition for human milk, as it varies between women and within the same woman, depending on genetic characteristics, the length of gestation and the time elapsed since childbirth, the techniques of expression, storage and dosage,” we can read on the Leache League website, we know that it is mainly composed of water, lactose, lipids, fatty molecules and sugars called “breast milk oligosaccharides” (HMO).
A study led by Meghan Azad, an associate professor of pediatrics and child health at Canada’s University of Manitoba, and her team, reveals that these HMOs, known for their anti-inflammatory properties, could be used as therapeutic agents for certain diseases. These include arthritis and multiple sclerosis, according to another study published in 2021. It reveals how HMOs, tested on mice, were able to reduce the development of atherosclerosis, the blockage of the arteries that leads to heart attacks and strokes, explains The Economist.
A promising molecule
“Until about 15 years ago,” explains Professor Meghan Azad, “breast milk was thought to be largely sterile. But genetic sequencing tools have revealed that it contains a…
- Slate.fr
