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Human breast milk is uniquely composed to meet the needs of human infants:
- It has a high concentration of lactose (milk sugar).
This is an excellent source of carbohydrates.
- There are 3 different
categories of proteins in human milk: whey proteins, casein proteins,
and non-protein nitrogen. The predominant type of protein in cows milk
is the casein protein (curds). The whey proteins which are
predominant in human milk are much easier for infants to digest. The
whey/casein ratio in human milk decreases from 90/10 in colostum, to
60/40 in mature milk and to 50/50 in late lactation
(
Lawrence, 2005
pgs. 127-135).
- Infants fed human milk tend to have stools that are less foul
smelling and softer than those of infants who are fed cow's milk
or soymilk based formula.
This is due to the different bacteria in the gastrointestinal
tract of infants who are solely breast fed.
Constipation, defined as hard stools
(not the absence of a daily stool),
does not occur in healthy breast fed infants.
The stool of a healthy breastfed baby
(picture courtesy of Wellstart International)
- The composition of the milk of mothers who are breastfeeding
varies during the time of the day and during the feeding.
The hind milk (latter part of a breastfeeding) has a much higher fat
content than milk produced during the beginning portion of the feeding.
(
Lawrence, 2005
pgs. 106-110).
- The odor and/or taste of breast milk may change depending on the
mother's diet. This may help infants get used to different tastes
(
Mennella, 1991
).
- More information on nutritional factors in breast milk is found in
the section on
Mature Milk Components.
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