Mom’s breast milk can help beat bacterial infections
100
views
The breast milk of women has proven to be very nutritious. This milk also has significant antibacterial properties.
It has been reported by Vanderbilt University that the sugars which are found in the milk of human mothers are antibacterial agents which are non-toxic. A mother’s breast milk therefore actually helps to protect babies from bacterial infections.
Researchers have found that some of the carbohydrates present in human milk have antibacterial properties. These carbohydrates also give a boost to the effectiveness of the antibacterial proteins which are also present.
loading...
It is of particular interest that the carbohydrates in human milk which have antibacterial properties are clearly non-toxic. This is not true of most antibiotics. This is very important in view of growing concerns about the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, which can be lethal. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated this causes about 23,000 deaths a year.
The researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered that first bacteria are sensitized by human milk sugars. Then they kill them. These sugars also have the capacity to break down biofilms which can nurture the effectiveness of the other antimicrobial agents which are contained in breast milk.
This study has been published in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases. It has been observed that human milk oligosaccharides from the breast milk of mothers can have an effect on the growth and biofilm formation of Group B Streptococcus. Human milk oligosaccharides also function as antibiofilm agents against these bacteria.
Clearly human breast milk is tasty and nutritious for babies. This natural milk also helps fight bacteria which can cause deadly infections in babies. Breast feeding certainly always deserves consideration by mothers.
Loading...