Study note

Nutritional benefits of breast milk

THE CONTEXT

Breast milk provides nutrients in proportions suited to neonatal growth and development and is easily digested.

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Lactose helps calcium absorption and promotes the growth of beneficial intestinal lactobacilli.

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Galactose is necessary for galactocerebroside formation.

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Breast milk has a low protein concentration of 0.9–1.1 g/dL. Lactalbumin and lactoglobulin account for 60% and are easily digested by neonates.

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Taurine and cysteine are necessary for brain growth; the passage describes these as lacking in cow milk and formula.

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Breast milk is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are necessary for myelination of neural tissue.

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The passage also links breast-milk fatty acids to prostaglandin synthesis and cholesterol to steroid hormone synthesis.

NEETx

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