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Nutrients May 2023Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein found in all vertebrates. OPN is expressed in many different cell types, and is consequently found in most tissues and... (Review)
Review
Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein found in all vertebrates. OPN is expressed in many different cell types, and is consequently found in most tissues and physiological secretions. OPN is involved in a multitude of biological processes, such as activation and regulation of the immune system; biomineralization; tissue-transformative processes, including growth and development of the gut and brain; interaction with bacteria; and many more. OPN is found in the highest concentrations in milk, where it is believed to initiate and regulate developmental, immunological and physiological processes in infants who consume milk. Processes for the isolation of bovine OPN for use in infant formula have been developed, and in recent years, many studies have investigated the effects of the intake of milk OPN. The purpose of this article is to review and compare existing knowledge about the structure and function of milk OPN, with a particular focus on the effects of milk OPN on human health and disease.
Topics: Infant; Humans; Animals; Cattle; Milk; Osteopontin; Infant Formula; Brain; Milk, Human
PubMed: 37299387
DOI: 10.3390/nu15112423 -
Critical Reviews in Food Science and... 2021Milk fat is a high-value milk component that is processed mainly as butter, cheese, cream and whole milk powder. It is projected that approximately 35 million tonnes of... (Review)
Review
Milk fat is a high-value milk component that is processed mainly as butter, cheese, cream and whole milk powder. It is projected that approximately 35 million tonnes of milk fat will be produced globally by 2025. This surplus, enhances the need for diversification of milk fat products and the milk pool in general. Infant milk formula producers, for instance, have incorporated enzyme modified ("humanised") milk fat and fat globule phospholipids to better mimic human milk fat structures. Minor components like mono- and di-glycerides from milk fat are increasingly utilized as emulsifiers, replacing palm esters in premium-priced food products. This review examines the chemistry of milk fat and the technologies employed for its modification, fractionation and enrichment. Emerging processing technologies such as ultrasound, high pressure processing, supercritical fluid extraction and fractionation, can be employed to improve the nutritional and functional attributes of milk fat. The potential of recent developments in biological intervention, through dietary manipulation of milk fatty acid profiles in cattle also offers significant promise. Finally, this review provides evidence to help redress the imbalance in reported associations between milk fat consumption and human health, and elucidates the health benefits associated with consumption of milk fat and dairy products.
Topics: Animals; Butter; Cattle; Cheese; Fatty Acids; Infant Formula; Milk, Human
PubMed: 32649226
DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1778631 -
Biomolecules Nov 2021Breastfeeding-or lactation-is a unique and defining reproductive trait of mammals that nourishes offspring by supplying nutrient-rich breast milk [...].
Breastfeeding-or lactation-is a unique and defining reproductive trait of mammals that nourishes offspring by supplying nutrient-rich breast milk [...].
Topics: Biological Factors; Breast Feeding; Child Development; Female; Homeostasis; Humans; Immune System; Infant; Milk, Human
PubMed: 34944387
DOI: 10.3390/biom11121743 -
World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics 2022
Review
Topics: Breast Feeding; Female; Humans; Lactation; Milk, Human
PubMed: 35240600
DOI: 10.1159/000516700 -
Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop... 2020Breastfeeding confers the infant short- and long-term health benefits and significantly modulates the developing infant gut microbiome. A specific human milk microbiome... (Review)
Review
Breastfeeding confers the infant short- and long-term health benefits and significantly modulates the developing infant gut microbiome. A specific human milk microbiome has relatively recently been discovered, but its origin remains poorly understood. Data from experimental and clinical studies suggest that the bacteria in milk may originate in the maternal gut and be transported via a specific enteromammary pathway, the details of which have not been elucidated yet. The milk microbiome is affected by the maternal metabolic state, antibiotic use, as well as the mode of delivery. We are only in the initial stages of understanding the biological function of the milk microbiome and its potential contribution to infant gut colonization. Several clinical studies indicate, however, that despite considerable differences in the overall composition of the milk and infant gut microbiomes, specific bacteria are detectable both in human milk and infant feces, and that the bacteria in milk are a source of microbes colonizing the neonatal gut. If the microbes in human milk are discovered to contribute to the beneficial effects of breastfeeding, modulating or mimicking the milk microbiome may provide a novel means of improving child health.
Topics: Bacteria; Feces; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Infant; Microbiota; Milk, Human
PubMed: 32235123
DOI: 10.1159/000505030 -
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition... May 2021The proteome is one of the most complicated and multifunctional components in human milk. Recently, numerous novel characteristics of the human milk proteome have been... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The proteome is one of the most complicated and multifunctional components in human milk. Recently, numerous novel characteristics of the human milk proteome have been discovered, which are described and critically examined in this review.
RECENT FINDINGS
Recent human milk proteomics studies have focused on how external factors like geography and environment, or maternal and infant's factors affect the milk proteins, endogenous peptides, their posttransitional modifications (PTMs) and infant utilization. Most of these studies have shown that major protein and endogenous peptide profiles are similar for healthy women and infants. The human milk proteome has been expanded by providing novel insights into PTMs like glycosylation and phosphorylation, and how the proteins and peptides are digested and utilized by the infant. All human milk proteomics studies are subject to conditions in which the samples were collected, handled and stored.
SUMMARY
Significant technological advancements in mass spectrometry have considerably enabled a deeper and more comprehensive identification and characterization of the expanded human milk proteome. However, data concerning human milk from mothers with infections or illnesses and mothers nursing more vulnerable infants are still limited and the roles of the components of the human milk proteome have not yet been sufficiently elucidated.
Topics: Female; Humans; Infant; Mass Spectrometry; Milk Proteins; Milk, Human; Proteome; Proteomics
PubMed: 33660633
DOI: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000742 -
Gaceta Medica de Mexico 2021The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all dimensions of health care, including exclusive breastfeeding assurance and its promotion. The risk of...
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all dimensions of health care, including exclusive breastfeeding assurance and its promotion. The risk of contagion and the consequences of the pandemic have raised concerns among future mothers or in those who are already breastfeeding due to the risk of possible transmission of the virus through breast milk, although active severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not yet been detected in breast milk. The fear of contagion has favored mother-child isolation policies. So far, there is no evidence of vertical transmission, and the risk of horizontal transmission in the infant is similar to that of the general population. In infants with COVID-19, breastfeeding can even favorably change the clinical course of the disease.
Topics: Breast Feeding; COVID-19; Colostrum; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Milk, Human; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Time Factors
PubMed: 34270527
DOI: 10.24875/GMM.20000665 -
Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop... 2020Oligosaccharides are a group of complex glycans that are present in the milk of most mammals. However, human milk is unique as the concentrations of human milk... (Review)
Review
Oligosaccharides are a group of complex glycans that are present in the milk of most mammals. However, human milk is unique as the concentrations of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are much higher than those of other mammals, and their structural composition is more complex and varies between women. These observations prompt several questions: (i) Why are humans unique when it comes to milk oligosaccharides? (ii) Which maternal genetic and environmental factors drive the interindividual variation in HMO composition? (iii) What are the short- and long-term health benefits for the infant - and potentially also the mother? The combination of genome-wide association studies, milk transcriptomics, in vitro gene editing, and in silico pathway modeling allows us to reconstruct HMO biosynthetic pathways. Using new data mining approaches and leveraging samples and metadata from large mother-infant cohorts enable us to identify associations between HMO composition and infant and maternal health outcomes. Suitable preclinical models and clinical intervention studies allow us to corroborate the established associations for causal relationships and test for in vivo efficacy in humans. Knowledge generated from these different approaches will help us establish true structure-function relationships and provide the rigorous evidence required to improve infant health and development.
Topics: Animals; Female; Genome-Wide Association Study; Humans; Infant; Milk, Human; Mothers; Oligosaccharides
PubMed: 32160614
DOI: 10.1159/000505339 -
Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop... 2021Human milk is a dynamic, complex fluid that offers much more than nutrition to infants. The macronutrient content of human milk has been well characterized and... (Review)
Review
Human milk is a dynamic, complex fluid that offers much more than nutrition to infants. The macronutrient content of human milk has been well characterized and described. However, human milk is not a simple matrix of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and micronutrients. The National Institutes of Health have defined bioactives in food as elements that "affect biological processes or substrates and hence have an impact on body function or condition and ultimately health." Bioactives are cells, anti-infectious and anti-inflammatory agents, growth factors, and prebiotics that are naturally present in human milk. They may explain the differences in health outcomes observed between breastfed and non-breastfed infants. They influence the development of the immune and gastrointestinal systems, gut microbiota, neurodevelopment, metabolic health, and protection against infection. Human milk oligosaccharides are one bioactive that have been an increasingly popular area of research. This review provides a broad overview of some bioactive components that positively affect the immune system and touches on certain well-known growth factors present in human milk. Future research will look at the interplay of the multitude of bioactive components in human milk as a biological system and beyond singular compounds.
Topics: Animals; Breast Feeding; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Infant; Milk; Milk, Human; Oligosaccharides; Prebiotics
PubMed: 35537434
DOI: 10.1159/000519401 -
Breastfeeding Medicine : the Official... Sep 2020Mother's own human milk is the best nutrition for infants, especially preterm very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) (≤1,500 g) infants, because of its immune-modulatory... (Review)
Review
Mother's own human milk is the best nutrition for infants, especially preterm very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) (≤1,500 g) infants, because of its immune-modulatory constituents that strengthen the infant's host defense, provide protection against infections, and decrease the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). When mother's own milk is unavailable or insufficient, donor human milk is considered the best alternative, especially for preterm VLBW infants. However, to assure biological safety, donor milk must be pasteurized. This results in partial or complete inactivation of some of the immunomodulatory constituents of human milk, which confer host defense. This review summarizes the current evidence regarding the effects of pasteurization on the different immunological constituents of donor milk, and their clinical significance, especially in relation to prevention of NEC.
Topics: Animals; Breast Feeding; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Milk Banks; Milk, Human; Pasteurization
PubMed: 32672472
DOI: 10.1089/bfm.2020.0192