Abstract

Breast-feeding provides the nursing infant with a plethora of molecules evolved to optimally develop the infant's tissues and organs. Human milk contains numerous bioactive molecules that modulate the immune system as well as molecules with direct and indirect antimicrobial activities that avoid overgrowth of potentially pathogenic microorganisms. The combination of immunmodulatory and antimicrobial factors help the child to avoid the development of inflammatory diseases and childhood infection. Accordingly, the feeding of formula and other substitutes to infants is clearly correlated with an increased frequency of inflammatory diseases such as allergies, colitis, juvenile diabetes, and childhood cancer, as well as an increased frequency of infections. Although some of the mechanisms and molecules involved in human milk's protection against infection have been well studied, the complete picture of the very complex biology of the human milk anti-microbial protection is not yet clear.

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