Immunological Benefits of Breast Milk
Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. In the United States, rotaviruses are responsible for up to 50% of all cases of infant gastroenteritis, which causes abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.
A study of 200 infants in Mexico City assessed the potential for lactadherin (a component of human breast milk) to protect against rotavirus infection. The infants were recruited at birth and monitored for rotavirus infection. Breast-milk samples were obtained from the mothers weekly for the first four weeks, and monthly thereafter.
Thirty-one infants contracted rotavirus over the course of the study, yet only 15 developed symptoms. Samples of breast milk taken immediately prior to the episodes of infection revealed an average lactadherin concentration 40% greater in the asymptomatic group vs. the symptomatic group.
Conclusion: The rapid dehydration associated with persistent infant diarrhea can be fatal if left untreated. Lactadherin may protect against the spread of rotavirus infection by stopping the virus from replicating. These results support previous studies which have documented the immunological benefits of breast milk.
Newburg DS, Peterson JA, et al. Role of human-milk lactadherin in protection against symptomatic rotavirus infection.
The Lancet, April 18, 1998;351, pp1160-64.