Breastfeeding: Why and How Article 2

Cholesterol: good or bad for baby? Cholesterol is the next important component of the fat family. Is this vital fat really the nutritional gremlin it is portrayed as? Not in babies. Cholesterol promotes brain growth, and provides basic components of hormones, vitamin D, and intestinal bile like other fats. Cholesterol is high in human milk, scant in cow's milk and nearly absent in formulas. Studies have shown that exclusively breastfed babies during the first year have higher blood cholesterol than formula-fed babies. What a smart idea -- higher blood cholesterol at the stage of most rapid brain growth. Nutritionists are uncertain about the possible short-term effects of low-cholesterol milk on the infant's brain versus the long-term effects on the heart. So go with the oldest successful nutritional design -- human milk for human babies.

Powerful Proteins - If the fat facts are not heavy enough to convince you your milk is special, listen to the protein story. Because baby grows faster during the first year than at any other time, quality protein is very important during this time. Human milk contains proteins specifically designed for infant growth. These powerful growth-promoting substances cannot be manufactured or bought. Each of these special factors does good things for your baby. Two main proteins: whey and casein are contained in both cow's and human milk. Whey is a gentle protein, easy to digest and very friendly to human intestines. Casein, the curd protein of milk, is lumpy and less easy to digest by human intestines. Human milk contains mostly whey. Cow's milk and some formulas contain mostly casein. A baby's intestines recognize breast milk proteins as the right stuff. The nutrients are digested easily, absorbed quickly and are not rejected as foreign foods. Because the intestine must work harder to digest the lumpier curd, they do not eagerly welcome the foreign proteins in formula or cow's milk. As the body's nutritional gatekeeper, the intestines let into the blood the right proteins and keep out of the blood proteins that may harm the body -- called allergenic proteins, or allergens. A baby's intestines are more porous in the early months and the "gate" in the intestinal lining is open, allowing foreign proteins to get through. Around six months the intestines mature and the "gate" begins to close, selecting some proteins and rejecting others -- an intriguing process called closure. Thus giving your baby only your milk until the intestines mature is the safest way to keep potentially allergenic proteins out of baby's blood.

Human milk contains other select proteins besides whey not naturally found in milks made by cows or companies. This elite group consists of: Taurine, the brain protein, is believed to enhance the development of the brain and nervous system. Another protein unique to human milk is Lactoferrin which acts like a ferryboat transporting valuable iron from the milk into the baby's blood. This special protein also polices the right kind of bacteria that reside in the baby's intestines. Both good and bad bacteria reside throughout a baby's lower intestines. The useful bacteria, does good things for baby such as make vitamins. If not kept in check, the harmful bacteria can overwhelm the intestines, causing diarrheal illnesses. Lactoferrin besides suppressing the harmful bacteria in a baby's intestines, keeps candida (a yeast organism that produces toxins) in check. Lysozymes another group of natural antiobiotics in your milk is a special protein that helps ward off harmful bacteria.

Another type of helpful protein in human milk is nucleotides. These proteins help tissues grow stronger. Nucvleotides help the lining of a baby's intestines develop better by boosting the growth of intestinal villi -- the tiny fingerlike projections that process and absorb food. These substances in human milk also help promote the bacteria that belong in a baby's intestines and eliminate those that don't -- a process called maintaining the normal ecology of the gut.

How Sweet It Is - If you want to find out if what they say about the taste of breast milk tasting better, then you have to try the taste test. Sample some formulas and breast milk, you will instantly know why babies prefer the real thing. Breast milk tastes fresh. Whereas formula has a canned taste. Human milk contains more lactose (sugar) than the milk of any other mammal -- 20 - 30- percent more than cow's milk. Formulas add corn syrup or lactose to make up the difference. The question is; why should your baby have this better sugar? Answer: Baby's brain needs it! It is believed by nutritionists that one of the products of lactose, galactose, is a vital nutrient to developing brain tissue. Researchers have shown that among all mammals the higher the lactose content of the milk, the larger the brain of that species; thus lending support that lactose is important for central nervous system development. Lactose also enhances calcium absorption, which is vital to developing bones. Not only does lactose help growing brains and growing bones, your baby's intestines need this natural sweet. Lactose promotes the growth of a useful intestinal bacteria, Lactobacillus bifidus.

There is more to come in the next article on "Breastfeeding: Why and How"