New growth factor found in breast milk
4 October, 2000
A newly discovered growth factor has been found to be present in high concentrations in breast milk. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor is already present in blood circulating around the body but has been found to be 100 times more concentrated in breast milk.
Speaking at the Australian Gastroenterology Week conference, Professor Ian Sanderson, of St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine, said the discovery of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor was further proof that breast milk contained more than just nutrients for infants.
‘We have found that the infant’s intestine recognises it as a growth factor. Although we need to do more research to find out what exactly it does,’ he said.
Professor Sanderson said there were many other factors in breast milk that interacted with the baby and they had a variety of functions, including immune and developmental roles.
‘And there are likely to be even more ‘agents’ found in breast milk as research continues. That is one of the reasons why paediatricians recommend breast feeding,’ he said.
The World Health Organization recommends that babies be breastfed exclusively for the first 4 to 6 months, however, only just over half of new mothers in Australia are still breastfeeding their babies at 6 months according to a recent study.
The study published by the University of Melbourne's centre for women's health (August, 2000) found 81.8 per cent of babies were breastfed at hospital discharge. But this dropped to 62.6 per cent after three months and was down to 46.2 after six months.
Last Reviewed: 30 May 2002
