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M. F. A. PICCIANO, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Blvd, MSC 7517, Bethesda, MD 20892 Human milk is a remarkably complex food that provides much more than adequate nutrition. It is composed of thousands of constituents that are dispersed throughout various phases, including an aqueous phase with true solutions (87%), colloidal dispersions of casein molecules (0.3%), emulsions of fat globules (4%), fat globule membranes, and live cells. In addition to macronutrients and micronutrients, an impressive body of evidence indicates that human milk contains a host of other components—including enzymes, anti-inflammatory agents, immunoglobulins, antimicrobials, antioxidants, oligosaccharides, cytokines, hormones, and growth factors—that have biological activities related to development, metabolic regulation, inflammation, and pathogenesis. Generally, these components fall into two functional categories: those that may protect the infant from disease, either by direct actions on microorganisms or by modulating immune function and anti-inflammatory activity; and those that may help to stimulate and regulate growth, development, and maturation of the gut, immune system, and neuroendocrine systems in the newborn. Some components may act through more than one mechanism. The combined effects of these bioactive components may result in the observed protection that human milk provides breastfeeding infants against infectious diseases, allergic disorders, and chronic diseases with an immunologic basis. The composition of infant formulas is modeled on many of the constituents in human milk, but differences do exist. Research is needed to identify the specific roles of bioactive components identified in human milk and whether their addition to infant formula contribute to potential health benefits for the infant.
Session 44, Evaluating the safety of bioactive components for infant formula
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |