The 15 'miraculous' curiosities of breast milk, the great mystery of science

1.There are three different types of milk

There are three stages in the milk formation process.Between the first and fifth day of the newborn life, the mother produces the calm, a yellowish milk that occurs in small quantities and is loaded with substances that contain essential elements for the immune system.It is one of the most important milks for the development of the baby, but it barely has nutritional power: it is in the second week of the baby's life, between six and fifteen days, when transition milk begins to come loaded with fats and carbohydratesFor baby growth.Matura milk, which lasts the rest of the breastfeeding time, contains much less antibodies and has more nutritional capacity, adapting to the needs of babies at every moment.

two.Each shot includes 'three dishes': first, second and dessert

But this, if already fascinating, is not the most striking of milk adaptation capacity.Did you know that each shot includes three different types of milk?As in a three -plates menu, the 'incoming' is a first aqueous milk to satisfy thirst.The 'main dish', a milk where fat content increases.And the 'dessert', a sweeter, rich and satiating milk.

3.In dry countries, mother's milk is more moisturizing

As you hear it: one of the functions of milk is to satisfy the baby's thirst, and it has been observed that in places where the weather is very sunny and the need for hydration is greater, as in Africa or tropical areas, breast milkwelcomed the thirst more.In addition, the milk produced by each mother varies depending on the baby's sex: it is more abundant when it comes to a girl, and more nutritious in the case of children.

4.Change flavor in each shot, and that is good for the baby

Taking breast milk instead of formula milk also favors the baby's sensory experiences: some flavors and features of food ingested by the mother are transmitted in milk, which changes flavor in each shot.The synthetic milk formula, however, always knows the same, stimulating the baby less.

5.Its components are still unknown

In spiteDespite the discovery of many of them, there are still great unknowns about breast milk components.It is believed that many of these unknown molecules can be, precisely, those responsible for their most important properties, and that discovering them can be crucial to advance in the treatment of many diseases such as, for example, cancer.

6.The secret for the fight against cancer?

Scientists from the University of Lund have discovered in breast milk a set formed by a protein and a fatty acid that is capable of killing tumor cells.A substance that has been baptized as Hamlet and whose effects were discovered by chance.Catharina Svanborg, an immunologist at that university, began the research that has shown promising results.Clinical trials are still being performed, but the first experiments showed how colon cancer patients excreted tumor cells through urine after this compound was administered, which did not damage any other cellular set.

7.Bacteria, one of the secrets of milk

Breast milk bacteria are one of the keys that benefit the newborn: raw milk has bioactive properties and one of them is the training of the baby's immune system.The intestinal flora is essential for the proper functioning of the organism, and the colonization of the baby's intestine for bacteria that are transmitted through milk is like a first vaccination with long -term effects.The intestine is one of the child's most important organs and, thanks to the use of breast milk for the treatment of neonates, many gastrointestinal diseases are avoided and it is prevented that, in the future, the individual develops diseases such as ulcerative colitis or diseaseof Crohn.

8.The best medicine for premature babies

From known, although perhaps not sufficiently claimed, they are the beneficial effects of breast milk on babies: less gastrointestinal problems, less infections, better mental development, less risk of suffering allergies or other respiratory disorders and a better immune system are some are someof the proven breastfeeding advantages.But not everyone knows that breast milk has been tested as a key 'medicine' in the good development of premature babies, which often suffer from intestinal problems that can be mortal when they are fed with formula and where food withBreast milk, of the mother or donor herself, drastically decreases mortality indices.

9.You have to donate more milk!

Therefore, breast milk donation is booming, and milk banks are a fundamental part of disease prevention and newborn care.They have a long tradition in European societies: in Germany, for example, all cities were obliged to have their own milk bank, although the appearance of industrial substitutes was replacing them gradually.In countries like France or Italy they are also established, and the return of milk banks is a trend worldwide, also in Spain.The main problem is the high cost of the process: milk donation must be medically supervised to perform analysis and supplements and avoid the transmission of dangerous bacteria for babies, so investment is fundamental.Right now, it is only used in a generalized way to treat premature babies.

10.Donation is prohibited in some cultures

Another obstacle in the donation of milk has to do with tradition: although more and more families make the individual decision to 'skip' the norms, there are religions such as Judaism or Islam that do not allow to breastfeed children ofOther families.This is because, in older cultures, 'the kinship of milk' is contemplated as a bond between individuals that can be as important as blood, considering the relationship between two individuals who spent milk.

eleven.There is a 'black market' of milk

Different population groups, such as bodybuilders, have breast milk, where many women offer their own in exchange for money.The breast milk market is not properly regulated and, in the United States, acquiring breast milk online is already a very widespread practice, although it can be dangerous.When analyzing milk, scientists such as Daniel Klotz have realized that, apart from the good bacteria for the newborn, there are samples contaminated with intestinal bacteria and other substances that make milk not suitable for consumption.

1two.And its exploitation affects black women more

The Cambodian government had to prohibit the export of breast milk due to this' boom of milk plaintiffs.North American companies, to take advantage of this market, resort to vulnerable women in a situation of necessity to buy their breast milk, in African countries but also locally: in Detroit, the Association of Black Mothers infant this practice recalling the historical fact that, once,Black slaves were abused as nurse to breastfeed the children of the slaves.

13.Contamination endangers breastfeeding

Scientific studies on the presence of chemical substances of industrial origin in breast milk have shown that, in post -industrial societies, there is a presence of chemical elements that interact with our hormonal system and are transmitted through milk: substances such as flame retarders, perchlorate or bisfemol-a, present in containers and in the plastic of the bottles, affect the quality of the milk.Fighting pollution and abuse of plastics and chemical substances is also crucial to protect the development of babies, which occurs with less risk when organic food is followed.

14.Milk has a very 'bad press'

In poor countries, because of the aggressive advertising of producing companies, synthetic milk has a very good press and there are mothers capable of producing it who are deceived not to use it.That is why there are local initiatives, in countries like Ghana, aimed at sensitizing and informing mothers about the benefits of breast milk.But not only in Africa: the benefits of breast milk have been hidden according to fashions, and aware of their good use is also a pending task in Europe.

fifteen.What if I have doubts?

Infant mothers receive excess and default judgments and, in a society that still hides breastfeeding and where not all women have the same characteristics, the questions accumulate: how long is it convenient to breastfeed a baby?The WHO recommendation is that up to two years or even when you can, although there are social prejudices against the breastfeeding of older babies.Is it my fault if I don't have milk?Nope.The process of breastfeeding can be frustrating and is full of ups and downs, and that is why professionals such as breastfeeding cosultors, available to accompany mothers in this process, are fundamental to child health.

Some of the resources available in Spain are e-lactance, LTAPP, the Spanish Association of Certified Maternal Consultants (IBCLC), the Breastfeeding Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, Ihan: Initiative for the humanization of birth attendance andBreastfeeding, the League of Milk or Fedalma: The Spanish Federation of Maternal Province Associations.