Human Breastmilk Is Protective During Infections, Study

Breastfeeding is protective when there is an infection in mothers or babies due to the immune cells found in breastmilk, says a new study.

AsianScientist (May 27, 2013) – Breastfeeding is protective when there is an infection in mothers or babies due to the immune cells called leukocytes found in human breastmilk, says a new international study led by The University of Western Australia.

The research may help to explain why babies who are exclusively breastfed have fewer infections.

In a paper published in the journal Clinical and Translational Immunology, lead author UWA’s Assistant Professor Foteini Hassiotou and colleagues show how the number of leukocytes in breastmilk changes during the course of breastfeeding as well as in response to maternal and infant infection.

The team recruited 21 breastfeeding mothers and their babies at different stages of lactation, from a few days after birth to several years into lactation. The researchers first established the normal range of leukocytes in the milk of healthy mothers and babies.

They then found that the leukocytes in breastmilk increased rapidly when either the mother or her baby had an infection and returned to normal levels when the infection was over. Remarkably, this response was also seen when only the baby had an infection and the mother was asymptomatic, reinforcing the importance of breastfeeding for the protection of the baby.

“In places where families don’t have ready access to medicine, particularly developing countries, breastfeeding may be a determining factor in infant recovery and survival,” the study authors write.

“Formula doesn’t offer this protection and the ability to adjust to infant needs. These findings present new information that is relevant to updating public policy on early infant nutrition that maximizes immunological development and protection. At the same time, they offer new grounds for examining the mechanisms behind the very low rates of symptomatic HIV and cytomegalovirus disease in infants exclusively breastfed by infected mothers.”

The study also found that exclusive breastfeeding was associated with a higher baseline level of leukocytes in breastmilk under healthy conditions. This may be because of the overall suckling time on the breasts and suggests that babies that are not exclusively breastfed receive not only lower breastmilk volumes but also breastmilk that contains fewer leukocytes.

Assistant Professor Hassiotou and her colleagues point out that the human lactating breast is the only metabolically significant organ of the body for which a medical test does not exist – yet cow’s udders are often tested. The measurement of breastmilk leukocyte levels now provides a new diagnostic tool for the health of the lactating breast and of the breastfed infant.

The article can be found at: Hassiotou F et al. (2013) Maternal and infant infections stimulate a rapid leukocyte response in breastmilk.

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Source: UWA; Photo: Daquella manera/Flickr/CC.
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