Breastfeeding and Health Benefits for the Mother-Infant Dyad: A Perspective on Human Milk Microbiota.

Abstract

Background: Current scientific research on breastfeeding provides substantial evidence of its numerous positive impacts, not only for children in both the short and long term but also for mothers who engage in breastfeeding.

Summary: In addition to the gold standard effect of human milk on infant nutrition, breastfeeding is associated with a lower incidence of infections, reduced infant/childhood mortality, necrotizing enterocolitis, and obesity during childhood and later in life, better cognitive performance, and a higher IQ score. For mothers, breastfeeding prolongs lactational amenorrhea, may facilitate postpartum weight loss, and may reduce breast and ovarian cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Breastfeeding can also play a beneficial role in preventing antibiotic resistance, which is a global concern across all age groups. Implementing exclusive breastfeeding for all infants has the potential to enhance child development and decrease healthcare expenses, leading to economic savings for both individual families and society. Human milk is a biologically active food that functions as both prebiotic and probiotic because of its oligosaccharides and the composition of its microbiota, which act as synergistic synbiotics.