Nutritional and biochemical properties of human milk, part I: General aspects, proteins, and carbohydrates

Human milk from healthy and well-nourished mothers is the preferred form of feeding;for all newborn infants. Its uniqueness lays in the content of all nutrients necessary to support normal growth and development of the infant and the presence of a number of other bioactive, compounds physiologically relevant for the infant. In this article, the general characteristics of human milk and recent knowledge about the compositional and functional aspects of human:milk proteins and carbohydrates are reviewed, emphasizing areas of current interest of biochemistry and lactational physiology and the effects of breastfeeding on the recipient infant.