Breastfeeding is the most appropriate way to nourish infants. It promotes proper physical and intellectual development of the child. Human milk is unique and impossible to replicate with any other kind of food. Breastfeeding improves immunity and decreases the occurrence of infections, especially those of the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract. It also helps to reduce the risk of some disorders such as allergies, diabetes mellitus type 1, obesity and arterial hypertension. The start and end times of breastfeeding are fundamental. Each of the organs or systems of the human body are characterized by a critical period as a time of intensive development. Harmful factors such as malnutrition, can lead to irreversible morphology and functional damages. Mother’s milk is the most suitable food for the child. It consists of components suitable for building immature gastrointestinal mucosa, the central nervous system, endocrine system and immune system, and determines the proper development of other systems. Human milk contains essential vitamins, minerals and other important components, such as nucleotides and DNA, which are not present in any artificial milk. The composition of breast milk is not constant and depends on the nutritional status of the mother. Human milk is species-specific and adjusts its composition to the developmental needs of the infant.

Improving infant formula since the 1840’s The first baby bottle was patented in 1841. Many previous nutrition studies identified health disparities between breastfed and non breast fed infants. Despite nutritional studies in formula fed vs. breastfed infants since then, especially in premature infants, various and numerous fortification efforts during this crucial infant development period have failed to rescue and reverse the chronic malnourishment status that is associated with not breast feeding and adverse health outcomes later in life. Researchers found that malnourished children’s microbiota failed to follow the healthy pattern they identified in healthy children. Dr. Jeffrey Gordon’s work suggests the microbiota of malnourished children is immature, lagging in development behind that of their healthy peers. Supplementing these children’s meals with widely used therapeutic foods that increase calories and nutrient density reduces deaths from malnutrition, but it does not fix their persistent microbiota immaturity. “Perhaps more insidious than slowing growth is malnutrition’s effect on less visible aspects of health, including impaired brain development and dysfunctional immunity, which follow these children throughout their lives”.

Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD “The father of the microbiome”

The WHO has established some clear guidelines outlining current status, addressing chronic malnutrition problems, intestinal diarrheal disease prevention and later prevention of chronic disease. Researchers are quickly working to develop clinical advancement of these goals and together this may quickly establish a solid foundation for the future of tomorrow’s children.