Motherhood has piqued my interest and given me further reason to delve into the science behind breast milk. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that breast milk manages to deliver the nutrients needed for a child to thrive in the first few months of their life. While breastfeeding is a natural process, it is not always an easy journey for mother and/or baby.

Not a lot of information exists on what goes on at a cellular level in the human breast tissue during lactation. A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) analysed 50 samples of breast milk and managed to isolate more than 48,000 cells using a technology that is able to ascertain which genes are present in a cell at that moment in time.

This analysis showed that there are 10 types of cells, including a population of wound healing cells, two types of epithelial cells with a wide variety of functions such as protection, secretion, absorption, excretion, filtration, diffusion, and sensory reception, and seven types of immune cells. The cells in human breast milk even change over time in nursing mothers. A type of epithelial cells, lactocytes, are abundant in breast milk. Researchers found a cluster of cells which are the main cells for milk production, and another cluster responsible for the structural role in the mammary gland. The amount of these lactocytes involved in the production of milk tend to vary depending on the changing nutritional needs of the infants as they grow up.

Changes in the composition of breast milk is also related to the lifestyle and health changes in the infant or the mother. Despite the nutritional value of breast milk, WHO reports that less than half of infants (41 per cent) under six months around the globe are exclusively breastfed. Reasons for this tend to vary from health issues, to exhaustion, to society judging mothers for breastfeeding in public.

This is prevalent in Europe but also in our Maltese society. Malta still suffers from a low breastfeeding rate when compared to other European countries. According to a local report in 2018, the percentage of Maltese mothers that breastfeed within the first hour of birth was 64.4 per cent. This percentage dwindled down to 9.6 per cent within the first six months.

The science of breastfeeding is fascinating. However, the policies and culture need a major shift to assist mothers if and whenever possible and provide the necessary support to embark on this challenging journey.

Danielle Martine Farrugia is a science communicator, a lecturer and a PhD student.

Sound Bites

•        Genetic mutation found in mothers linked to lower breast milk supply – Researchers from Penn State college of medicine found that women who perceive that they have inadequate milk supply are more likely to have a specific genetic mutation in mammary tissue. Researchers suggest that screening for this mutation along with other factors such as age and body mass index can assist mothers who are more likely to stop breastfeeding prematurely due to this perceived lack of milk supply.

•        Sudden infant death syndrome and sleeping positions in infants – Researchers found that while sleeping position is the main known modifiable risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS),   41.3 per cent of infants under the age of six months in Spain sleep in a non-recommended position. This percentage increases to 59.7 per cent for infants between the ages of six and 11 months. The paper advocates for personalised education together with other campaigns on how to prevent SIDS.

For more science news, listen to Radio Mocha on www.fb.com/RadioMochaMalta/.

DID YOU KNOW?

•        Pasteurisation was originally intended for wine not milk.

•        The process of making human milk is called lactation, where human milk is secreted through the mammary glands found in the breast.

•        Human mammary glands can produce more than a litre of milk in a day. This doubles if the mother has twins.

•        Mastitis is the inflammation of breast tissue, and while it is more common in breastfeeding, men can also suffer from it.

•        Breasts are like fraternal twins rather than identical, with one breast bigger than the other one.

For more trivia see: www.um.edu.mt/think.

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