Human milk: composition and health benefits


https://doi.org/10.4081/pmc.2017.155
Vol. 39 No. 2 (2017)
Submitted: 7 June 2017
Accepted: 20 June 2017
Published: 28 June 2017
Human milk, Composition, Benefits, Infant
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Authors

  • Fabio Mosca Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, IRCCS Foundation Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
  • Maria Lorella Giannì
    maria.gianni@unimi.it
    Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, IRCCS Foundation Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.

Breastfeeding is widely acknowledged as the normal and unequalled method for feeding infants due to its associated health benefits, both for the infant and the mother. The World Health Organization recommends that infants are exclusively breastfed up to the completion of six months of age, with breastfeeding continuing to be an important part of the diet until the infant is at least two years old. The several health benefits associated with breastfeeding are driven by the combined action of the nutritional and bioactive components in human milk and the magnitude of the majority of the ascertained biological effects is directly dependent on breastfeeding duration.

This review briefly summarizes the current knowledge on the composition of human milk and provides an overview on its functional effects on health outcomes, focusing on the latest research results.


Fabio Mosca, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, IRCCS Foundation Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, University of Milan

Maria Lorella Giannì, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, IRCCS Foundation Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Supporting Agencies

Merqurio Editore

Mosca, F., & Giannì, M. L. (2017). Human milk: composition and health benefits. La Pediatria Medica E Chirurgica, 39(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/pmc.2017.155

Copyright (c) 2017 Fabio Mosca, Maria Lorella Giannì

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