Mother's milk has always been hailed as one of the best sources of nourishment for babies. Recently, it was discovered that cow's milk, might also contain some of the similar protective properties that breast milk has.
A team of researchers from the University of California has pinpointed the compound that encompasses these protective properties. They have also figured it out that it's possible for it to be attained from cow's milk, too.
"Milk the only food that co-evolved with humans to make us healthy," said Professor David Mills from UC Davis.
Delving into the crux of the matter, a baby's gastrointestinal tract is embedded with a population of good microbes. Breast milk tends to enhance the development of the bacteria in the intestines, which in turn augments the supply of essential nutrition to the baby.
"Mother's milk, itself, guides the development of neonates' gut microbiota, nourishing a very specific bacterial population that, in turn, provides nourishment and protects the child. Now we have identified the compound in the milk that supplies this nourishment, and has shown that it can be obtained from cow's milk," said Mills.
B infantis is a kind of bacterium found in the babies' intestines and it is responsible for producing an enzyme that initiates the release of oligosaccharides from the milk glycoproteins, which in turn processes the nutrients that the baby needs.
Glycoproteins are encompassed with both protein as well as molecules that contain multiple sugars namely oligosaccharides.
The new research has found that this same enzyme that is endowed with the capability to break down glycoproteins to release the oligosaccharides, can break it down from cow's milk, just like it does from breast milk.
If so, the researchers said that cow's milk can now be worked around with, to develop a prebiotic that could improve baby's formula.
The research has been published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Photo: Bridget Coila | Flickr
