What Is The Composition Of Breast Milk? – Being Parents

The composition of breast milk is unique and inimitable. It changes depending on the baby’s age, the time of year and the child himself.

And nature is well made: the mother’s milk contains all the elements that the baby needs for growth.

According to the World Health Organization, a child can be well fed with breast milk for up to three years, whether or not he is exclusively breastfed.

Breastfeeding creates a world of wonderful possibilities between mother and child. It is a relationship of love, a channel of dialogue. This is called attachment.

How does a woman produce breast milk?

The mother first produces colostrum, a yellowish, watery substance rich in minerals and vitamins A, E, K and B12. Colostrum is very easy to digest and also has laxative effects, which helps to remove deposits in the baby’s intestines.

This colostrum is made up of leukocytes and antibodies. These are responsible for protecting the baby from possible intestinal and respiratory infections, while waiting for his immune system to develop.

A few days after childbirth, the mother has a real rush of milk. It is a low protein substance , but rich in fats and carbohydrates.

At the start of the feed, it is very light, then it becomes creamier. This change in texture allows the infant to satisfy first his thirst, then his appetite.

What is the composition of breast milk?

1. Water

It is the most abundant component in breast milk. Water helps regulate the infant’s body temperature.

There is evidence that breastfed babies can be content with the water in breast milk.

2. Proteins

The special properties of breast milk are largely due to its proteins.

Human breast milk is characterized by a predominance of whey over casein. From a nutritional point of view, casein fulfills the role of protein, but also acts as an immunomodulator. This means that it regulates the reactions of the immune system.

Lactoferrin is another protein found in breast milk. It contributes to the protection of the infant against microorganisms.

By mixing with iron, this protein prevents germs from feeding on it to develop.

Antibodies, also called immunoglobulin, are proteins that know how to recognize and mix with the structures against which they are sent. When they recognize the antigen, they destroy it for the immune system. They are therefore very important.

When the immune-immature infant consumes breast milk, it receives antibodies. These protect it from the ambient microorganisms to which it is exposed.

3. Carbohydrates

The main carbohydrate in milk is lactose. It is synthesized in the mammary gland.

Its main function is to provide energy. It also probably promotes infant growth through the following properties:

• It facilitates the absorption of calcium.
• It is a source of galactose, which is essential for the production of galactolipids, essential for the development of the nervous system.
• It controls the volume of milk by regulating the transport of water.
• Lactose participates in the immunomodulatory process.

Lactose levels are relatively the same in all women, even those who are malnourished.

4. Fat

They are sources of energy. They are essential for the development of the nervous system.

It is the component whose quantity varies the most in the composition of breast milk. It increases during the day and even during a feed. Indeed, the levels are low at the beginning and higher at the end.

During breastfeeding, the aqueous phase of the milk mixes with the fat globules in an increasing way.

Human breast milk provides fatty acids that develop visual acuity. Children who are fed other milk have been shown to see worse vision than those who are breastfed.

5. Mineral salts

A breastfed baby makes better use of water to regulate his body temperature, through insensitive sweat and loss.

• Sodium and potassium. Potassium levels are higher than sodium. The same proportions are found in the cells. Low sodium levels and high potassium levels give breast milk a beneficial effect.
• Iron. Absorption of iron from breast milk raises the rate to 50%. A baby who is exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months is therefore much less likely to suffer from anemia.

• Calcium. Calcium and phosphorus are less important in human breast milk, but they are better absorbed.
• Zinc. Breast milk contains biologically available zinc. Breastfed children do not suffer from acrodermatitis enteropathica, a congenital condition that prevents the absorption of zinc.

6. Vitamins

Water-soluble vitamins are ingested in acceptable proportions by the newborn.

• Vitamin A. Vitamin A, like all fat soluble vitamins (A, E, D and K), is transported by lactic fat. It is even more present in colostrum and in the milk of mothers of premature babies.

• Vitamin D. The main source of vitamin D is sun exposure, not dietary intake. In exclusively breastfed children, there is no deficiency.
• Vitamin E. Breast milk produces more than sufficient levels of vitamin E. And colostrum provides three times more. This is important because the infant has no reserves and he needs this contribution from the first days of his life.
• Vitamin K. The concentration of vitamin K is higher in colostrum and in transition milk.

Also worth knowing …

• Breast milk is an aqueous suspension of nutrients, cells, hormones, growth factors and immunoglobulin that establishes a close relationship between mother and baby.
• Milk changes composition throughout the day and day after day. It changes throughout breastfeeding, even during a feed.

• All changes have a function. Indeed, human breast milk has the particularity of adapting to the needs of each infant.