2023-10-31 10:23:09
by Chiara Bidoli
Recent studies have shown that its formula contains microRNA nucleic acids capable of modifying the expression of genes and the hereditary predisposition to develop certain diseases. The importance of breastfeeding on the mother-child relationship
Breast milk should not only be considered a nourishment, but also an exceptional source of biologically active substances. In fact, it is not limited to providing the child with energy and nutrients for growth, but is capable of stimulating and modifying the functioning of the child’s organism at various levels. Studies documenting the biological properties of human milk constituents are constantly increasing. Breast milk is a food that interacts incessantly with the baby, revealing itself to all intents and purposes as a “living tissue”, capable of activating, among other things, the relationship with the mother and making the immune system more adequate to support life’s challenges. : in addition to those against infections, also those against allergies, tumors and even chronic adult diseases, explains Riccardo Davanzo President of the multidisciplinary Technical Operational Table on breastfeeding of the Ministry of Health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) underlines how the state of health and nutrition of the mother and child must be understood as closely linked to each other. To all intents and purposes it is a privileged, biological and at the same time relational dyad. The promotion of optimal infant nutrition, such as that guaranteed by breast milk, is in fact part of a broader strategy aimed at maternal-infant protection, including mental protection. This wide-ranging prevention perspective is recognized by Italian scientific societies in the perinatal and pediatric area such as, among others, the Italian Society of Neonatology (SIN), the Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP) and the Italian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (SIGO ), who are increasingly committed to promoting breastfeeding. Furthermore, it is necessary to appreciate how the 2020 – 2025 Health Plan itself recognizes the positive effect that breast milk has in particular on chronic adult diseases such as hypercholesterolemia, arterial hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, says Davanzo.
New knowledge
Recent studies have shown that a type of nucleic acids known as microRNAs are also present in breast milk. They do not transmit genetic characteristics but modify the functioning of enzymes – specifies Davanzo -. In other words they are able to modify the expression of genes and therefore ultimately also the hereditary predisposition to manifest certain diseases. Breast milk microRNAs act at multiple levels. For example, they inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells and facilitate the maturation of the child’s lymphocytes, making them capable of producing better targeted antibodies against infectious agents. They also promote the maturation of the gastrointestinal tract of the newborn, especially preterm ones, protecting it from damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammation. These molecules, in fact, seem to represent the biological basis that explains the benefits of breast milk. The microRNA content of breast milk then changes continuously, based on the mother’s health status, the baby’s age and the time of day. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding your baby exclusively for six months and continuing during weaning and afterwards for as long as mother and baby wish.
Breastfeeding is a great opportunity for the mother and her baby, but it is first necessary to make women aware of the innumerable benefits of this natural practice and offer them concrete and psychological support that allows them to go beyond the expected physiological moments of difficulty – continues Davanzo -. A mother, for example, may not be ready to adapt to a possible increase in the baby’s requests to breastfeed, always fearing poor milk production, without taking into consideration that it is most often a transitory behavior. adaptive. Mother’s milk changes continuously: more than due to diet, environmental situations, emotional states, stress and excessive tiredness. The fact that the baby wants to stay attached to the normal breast for a long time and if it is supported, it is possible to overcome these lactation crises that all mothers, sooner or later, encounter. Moreover, other common manifestations such as regurgitation or colic should not be emphasized. Because they can occur with both breast milk and formula, they are not a good reason to be discouraged from breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding and mental health
If on the one hand some false myths about breastfeeding that could discourage a mother who wishes to breastfeed must be debunked, on the other hand we must consider that to be able to breastfeed a woman must be at ease, especially from a mental point of view. Mother’s mental health is crucial. Only in this way, even with the help of family, friends and healthcare workers, can the woman be able to support the child’s demands, which are sometimes very demanding – continues Davanzo -. A woman’s emotional conditions and experience of motherhood can change during the first year of life. It is therefore necessary that the healthcare personnel who accompanies the mother in the post-partum period, and more generally in the first year of life, are ready with empathy to carry out periodic re-evaluations, as is clearly recommended in the document for this purpose produced by the Ministry of Health. In fact, one must be able to grasp the moment in which mental distress, which is present in varying degrees in approximately 20% of new mothers, exceeds the limit. In some rare situations it may therefore be appropriate to even help the mother to stop breastfeeding. It must be foreseen, without being rigid. In fact, the priority remains the physical and mental health of the dyad: there must be no conflict between the health of the child and that of the mother and even breastfeeding, however well supported, must be able to adapt to individual situations.
October 31, 2023 (modified October 31, 2023 | 07:33)
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
#Breast #milk #point #bioactive #properties #beneficial #effects #time.news