Last time I wrote about #MilkAsMedicine, the focus was on how breastfeeding allows a mother’s immune system to supplement her baby’s in order to protect the baby from infections and help to either prevent infectious illnesses or help the baby to recover from them more quickly. This is called passive immunity. In this instance the baby borrows from the mother’s mature immune system to support their own less developed one..
Today I’m beginning to focus on the many components of breastmilk that stimulate the baby’s own immune defence system so that their body can protect itself more effectively. This is called active immunity as the baby’s own immune system is actively involved.
Nucleotides are one component of breastmilk with many actions, including several involved in immune functions. They enhance the proliferation of white blood cells in the baby’s immune system called lymphocytes which respond to specific infections and stimulate them to produce antibodies to infections. The antibodies lock on to pathogens and ‘tag’ them for destruction, neutralize any toxins they produce, and stay in the baby’s body ready to protect them from future exposure to the same bug. Nucleotides in breastmilk also increase the activity of natural killer cells which destroy any cells in the baby’s body that become infected by viruses and the viruses inside them.
Nucleotide levels are higher in the milk of mothers who deliver their babies prematurely, providing an extra boost to the immune systems of these more fragile and susceptible babies. Nucleotides in your milk also stimulate the growth of lactobacilli (good bacteria) in the baby’s gut and inhibit the growth of bad bacteria that can make the baby sick. More on that next time!