|
Breast
milk is good for all ages. It contains nutrients that are
essential for the growth and development of an infant, as
well as antibodies that protect against infections in children.
It also contains minerals, such as calcium for the strengthening
of bones in young and older adults. It has been known for
decades that children who are breast-fed are less prone to
diarrhea, cough, pneumonia and other childhood infectious
diseases. Past studies have also suggested that infant mortality
rates are four times lower for breast-fed infants than for
those children who are bottle-fed.
All of these therefore suggest that mother’s breast
milk contains health-enhancing factors that may be absent
in cow’s milk. There is increasing empirical evidence
that the benefits of breast milk may extend long into later
years of adulthood. Epidemiological studies are now showing
that women who were breast-fed as infants have a much lesser
risk of developing breast cancer in later life than those
who were not breast-fed. Additional studies have also indicated
a definitive trend of decreasing breast cancer risk with duration
for lactation. Studies in Korea, Thailand and Germany have
shown that women who breast-feed their babies for over an
18-month period have a significant lesser risk of developing
breast cancer than those who did not.
The presentation would provide evidence to support and explain
some of the above-listed empirical findings. For example,
results from our on-going studies show that fractions isolated
from human breast milk can inhibit in vitro growth of malaria
parasite, an infection that kills about 2 million children
every year. The same fractions also neutralize toxins produced
by deadly bacteria such as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus
and Pseudomonas.
Our results also show that the same milk fractions prevent
growth and proliferation of breast cancer cells. By the end
of the presentation, we would all understand how breast milk
is able to accomplish all the aforementioned health benefits
to both infants and adults.
|
