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How To Enhance Infant Protection From Infection And Disease
By Farrell Seah
In 1975, a pediatrician named Allan Walker reported a startling link between formula-fed infants and the occurrence of infectious diseases like neonatal meningitis and food allergies. In that report, he suggested that the this link was due to antigen absorption through the intestinal walls, and that breastfeeding infants for the first three months of life would prevent this absorption and decrease their susceptibility to disease.
He concluded that the passive immunity provided by colostrum and breast milk might play an important role in protecting infants from infection and disease by blocking the passage of pathogens and toxins through the intestinal walls and into the bloodstream. Dr. Walker's report initiated decades of further research, and we now know that he was right.
Colostrum and breast milk do much more than provide nutritional support. They also provide developmental support that is necessary for the maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, and immunological support that is vital for the continued growth and strengthening of the immune system.
Colostrum is the first milk provided to breastfeeding newborns during the first few days of life. This special milk is yellow to orange in color, thick and rather sticky, and very easily digested. It is richer in proteins than mature breast milk—both nutritional proteins for utilization in the body, and non-nutritional proteins that remain in the gut to aid in its closure to pathogens and toxins.
Infants who receive colostrum early and often have mature digestive tracts that are more robust throughout their first six months of life, and strong immune systems that are better able to resist infection and disease. Colostrum is the perfect source of nutrition for infants, providing them with the nutrients required to ensure proper growth and the development of the brain and nervous system.
Colostrum changes gradually to mature milk during the first two weeks after birth. During this transition period, the breast milk will become thinner in its consistency and whiter in its appearance. The concentration of antibodies in the transition milk will begin to decrease, while its overall volume will begin to increase.
The antibodies and other immune factors in mature human breast milk do not disappear completely; in fact, immunological protection against viruses and bacteria continues to be passed along from the mother to the baby as long as the baby continues breastfeeding. Like colostrum, breast milk is the perfect source of nutrition for infants, and tailor-made to their changing needs over time.
It contains an optimal balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat for energy, and it provides the digestive enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and hormones for a baby's optimal health and continued growth.
Most commercially prepared formulas are based on non-fat bovine milk, whey protein, or soy protein. These formulas must be fortified with carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals in order for them to match the nutritional content of colostrum and breast milk.
But the active antibodies and other immune factors contained in human colostrum and breast milk cannot be added to these formulas, and they cannot provide the same developmental stimulus or immunological protection. As a result, babies receiving fluids other than mother's colostrum/breast milk for first three days of life have an increased incidence of diarrhea during their first six months, and formula-fed infants are more prone to a variety of common infections to which they are particularly vulnerable.
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