Study Reveals Link Between Human Breast Milk Micronutrient And Brain Development In Newborns

Massachusetts: Researchers at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre on Ageing (HNRCA) suggested that micronutrients in human breast milk have considerable positive effects on newborns’ growing brains. This finding provides new information on the connection between nutrition and brain health and could advance infant formulas used in instances where breastfeeding is not an option. The findings of the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), also pave the way to study what role this micronutrient might play in the brain as we age.

The micronutrient, a sugar molecule known as myo-inositol, was shown to be most prevalent in human breast milk during the early months of lactation, when synapses, or connections between neurons, are rapidly forming in the developing brain. The researchers profiled and analyzed human milk samples gathered across sites in Mexico City, Shanghai, and Cincinnati by the Global Exploration of Human Milk study, which comprised healthy mothers of term singleton infants. This was true regardless of the mother’s ethnicity or origin.

Further testing using rodent models as well as human neurons showed that myo-inositol increased both the size and the number of synaptic connections between neurons in the developing brain, indicating stronger connectivity. Thomas Biederer, senior scientist on the Neuroscience and Aging Team at the HNRCA, senior author on the study, and faculty member at the Yale School of Medicine, where he leads a research group in the Department of Neurology said,

Forming and refining brain connectivity from birth is guided by genetic and environmental forces as well as by human experiences.

Also Read: An Image Of A Player Breastfeeding Publicly In Mizoram Highlights Issues Faced By Nursing Mothers

Diet is one of the environmental forces that offers many opportunities for study. In early infancy, the brain may be particularly sensitive to dietary factors because the blood-brain barrier is more permeable, and small molecules are taken in as food can more easily pass from the blood to the brain. Biederer said,

As a neuroscientist, it’s intriguing to me how profound the effects of micronutrients are on the brain. It’s also amazing how complex and rich human breast milk is, and I now think it is conceivable that its composition is dynamically changing to support different stages of infant brain development.

Similar levels of myo-inositol across women in very different geographic locations point to its generally important role in human brain development, he observed.

Research by others has shown that brain inositol levels decline over time as infants develop. In adults, lower than normal brain inositol levels have been found in patients with major depressive disorders and bipolar disease. Genetic alterations in myo-inositol transporters have been linked to schizophrenia. In contrast, in people with Down’s syndrome and patients with Alzheimer’s disease and Down’s syndrome, higher than normal accumulations of myo-inositol have been identified. Mr. Biederer added,

The current research does indicate that for circumstances where breastfeeding is not possible, it may be beneficial to increase the levels of myo-inositol in infant formula.

However, Biederer says it is too soon to recommend that adults consume more myo-inositol, which can be found in significant quantities in certain grains, beans, bran, citrus fruits, and cantaloupe (but which is not present in great quantities in cow’s milk). He said,

We don’t know why inositol levels are lower in adults with certain psychiatric conditions, or higher in those with certain other diseases.

A host of research questions remain: Are lower inositol levels in people with depression or bipolar disease a cause of those diseases, or a side effect of drugs used to treat them? Do higher than normal levels in people with Down’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease suggest that too much myo-inositol is problematic? What is the “right” level of myo-inositol to have in one’s brain for optimal brain health at various stages of life. Mr. Biederer said,

My colleagues at the HNRCA and I are now pursuing research to test how micronutrients like myo-inositol may impact cells and connectivity in the ageing brain. We hope this work leads to a better understanding of how dietary factors interplay with age-related brain aberrations.

Also Read: New Study Highlights That Pregnant Women Often Lack Adequate Nutrition

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.