Immune benefits of breat milk:
Antibodies of secretory IgA:- Bind to microbes in baby's digestive tract and thereby prevent their attachment to the walls of the gut and their subsequent passage into body's tissues.
B-12 binding factor:- Reduces amount of vitamin B-12,which bacteria need in order to grow.
Bifidus factor:- Promotes growth of Lactobacillus bifidus,,a harmless bacterium,in baby's gut.Growth of such nonpathogenic bacteria helps to crowd out dangerous varieties.
Fatty acids:- Disrupt membranes surrounding certain viruses and destroy them.
Fibronectin:- Increase antimicrobial activity of macrophages;helps to repair tissues that have been damaged by immune reactions in baby's gut.
Hormones and growth factors:- Stimulate baby's digestive tract to mature more quickly.Once the initially "leaky" membranes lining the gut mature,infants become less vulnerable to microorganisms.
Interferon:- Enhances antimicrobial activity of immune cells.
Lactoferrin:- Binds to iron,a mineral many bacteria need to survive.By reducing the available amount of iron,lactoferrin thwarts growth of pathogenic bacteria.
Lysozyme:- Kills bacteria by disrupting their cell walls.
Mucins:- Adhere to bacteria and viruses,thus keeping such microorganisms from attaching to mucosal surfaces.
Oligosaccharides:- Bind to microorganisms and bar them from attaching to mucosal surfaces.
SOURCE:Adapted from J.Newman,1995,How breast milk protects newborns,Sci.Am.273(6):76.
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