Archives
Cell Types and Metabolites in Human Milk Change Over Lactation
By: Alla Katsnelson, Ph.D
Issue #114 | Date: 05 2023
Scientists used single cell RNA sequencing and other techniques to characterize cells and molecules present in human milk over several months of lactation.
The Tall and the Short of It: Can Milk Drinking Explain Increases in Stature Among Prehistoric Agriculturalists?
By: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D.
Issue #114 | Date: 05 2023
The genetic variant that allows for lactose digestion through the lifespan may explain differences in adult stature among prehistoric farmers.
Mom’s Helpful Microbes: Yogurt Consumption During Pregnancy Could Lower Risk of Allergies in Offspring
By: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D.
Issue #114 | Date: 05 2023
A pregnant mother’s gut microbes might communicate with the fetal immune system. Feeding these microbes with probiotic rich yogurt may play a role in allergy prevention.
Live Microbes Intake Linked with Better Health
By: Alice Callahan, PhD
Issue #114 | Date: 05 2023
People who ate more foods containing live microbes, including yogurt and fresh produce, had better markers of cardiometabolic health.
Milk-linked Microbe Mitigates Effect of Antibiotics on Asthma Risk
By: Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Issue #113 | Date: 03 2023
Antibiotic use in infancy increases likelihood of childhood asthma, but a microbe that feeds on breastmilk may minimize this risk.
Facts, Not Fads: Dairy Fat Can Be Heart Healthy
By: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D.
Issue #113 | Date: 03 2023
Far from causing clogged arteries and high cholesterol, a large prospective study finds that adults eating more dairy-derived saturated fats had lower levels of blood markers associated with cardiovascular risk.
Flavor Wheel Points to Role of Fat in Human Milk Taste
By: Alla Katsnelson, Ph.D
Issue #113 | Date: 03 2023
A panel of tasters identified the key flavor features of human milk to create a tool that can quantify its sensory properties. They found that fat content is a key predictor of taste.
Dairy Consumption in Youth Linked with Better Mental Health
By: Alice Callahan, PhD
Issue #113 | Date: 03 2023
A cross-sectional study of youth in Beijing found that those who regularly consumed dairy products were less likely to have symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Farm Exposures Influence Human Milk Composition and Might Reduce Allergies
By: Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Issue #112 | Date: 01 2023
Maternal exposure to microbes and to farm environments builds their immune response, which in turn protects children that are fed breast milk from allergies.
Can Prehistoric Disease and Famine Explain the Evolution of Lactase Persistence in Europe?
By: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D.
Issue #112 | Date: 01 2023
Lactase persistence (LP) has been the textbook example for a genetic adaptation to the human diet for decades.
Consuming Dairy Products Helps Guard against Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Older Adults
By: Anna Petherick, Ph.D.
Issue #112 | Date: 01 2023
The food sources from which older adults get their vitamin B12, as opposed to merely how much of it they consume, matter for how much their bodies are able to use it. Vitamin B12 in dairy products appears to be especially available to the body.
Gut Microbiome-targeting IgG Antibodies in Maternal Milk Protect Newborn Mice
By: Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Issue #112 | Date: 01 2023
• A study in mice suggests that the transfer of IgG antibodies in milk is even more important than transfer via the placenta.
Human Milk and Nutrition Battle Long-term Effects of a Dangerous Intestinal Disease in Preterm Infants
By: Marina Wang
Issue #111 | Date: 11 2022
A randomized control cohort study found that human milk protects preterm infants from infection and necrotizing enterocolitis, which can cause lower IQ outcomes.
Jarlsberg Cheese Can Improve Markers of Bone Health
By: Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Issue #111 | Date: 11 2022
Daily consumption of Jarlsberg cheese, but not Camembert, improved several circulatory protein markers of bone health.
Molecules in Human Milk Boost Immunity Even in the Absence of Milk-digesting Bacteria
By: Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Issue #111 | Date: 11 2022
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and modulate immune responses; in germ-free mice, HMOs boosted immune responses both in intestinal cells and the body.
Drinking the Daily Recommended Intake of Milk Boosts Brain Health in Older Adults
By: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D.
Issue #111 | Date: 11 2022
An intervention study on adults over 60 years of age found that after just three months, consuming three cups of 1% milk a day increased antioxidant glutathione levels to those associated with younger adults.
Remarkable Diversity of Milk-digesting Bacteria in Hunter-gatherer Infants
By: Marina Wang
Issue #110 | Date: 09 2022
A metagenomic analysis of stool samples taken from the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania showed that infants have a more a diverse gut microbiome than infants from industrialized lifestyles. These subtle differences compound over time and influence the t
Yogurt Enhanced with Prebiotics and Probiotics Improves Calcium Uptake in Young Women
By: Marina Wang
Issue #110 | Date: 09 2022
A new crossover study shows yogurt enhanced with synbiotics—both pre- and probiotics—improved calcium uptake in two-thirds of young adult women. On average, calcium absorption in the gut was 24% increased.
Bring Back the Fat in Milk: Kids’ Edition
By: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D.
Issue #110 | Date: 09 2022
A new study found consumption of higher fat milk during early childhood was associated with a lower chance of being overweight or obese during early adolescence.
Baby Backwash Can Trigger Immune Response in Milk
By: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D.
Issue #110 | Date: 09 2022
When a human infant suckles, some of their saliva gets pulled back into the nipple and can travel into the milk ducts. Researchers believe this could inform the mammary gland about the infant’s health
Breast Milk Samples May Inform Early Cancer Diagnosis
By: Anna Petherick, Ph.D.
Issue #109 | Date: 07 2022
Developments in the analysis of the vesicles in breast milk have identified constituents that are linked to some breast cancers.
Fermented Dairy Foods Show Potential to Delay Cognitive Decline and Dementia
By: Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D.
Issue #109 | Date: 07 2022
Modifying the gut microbiome by consuming fermented dairy foods offers a potential pathway for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
First Steps towards Intranasal Milk Therapy for Preterm Infants
By: Marina Wang
Issue #109 | Date: 07 2022
In a prospective trial, researchers demonstrated that human milk can safely and feasibly be administered intranasally to preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhaging.
Common Milk Protein Blocks COVID-19 Infections in Cultured Human Cells
By: Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Issue #109 | Date: 07 2022
Lactoferrin, a protein found in dairy and human milk, prevents SARS-CoV2 from entering cells in lab experiments. Future studies could yield a potential antiviral pill that reduces viral transmission.