Published: Aug. 27, 2012 Updated: Aug. 27, 2012 Reporters &
producers can visit Duke Medicine News and Communications for
contact information. By Duke Medicine News and Communications
The benefits of breast milk have long been appreciated, but now
scientists at Duke University Medical Center have described a
unique property that makes mother’s milk better than infant
formula in protecting infants from infections and illnesses. The
finding, published in the August issue of the journal Current
Nutrition & Food Science, explains how breast milk, but not
infant formula, fosters colonies of microbiotic flora in a
newborn’s intestinal tract that aid nutrient absorption and
immune system development. “This study is the first we know of
that examines the effects of infant nutrition on the way that
bacteria grow, providing insight to the mechanisms underlying
the benefits of breast feeding over formula feeding for
newborns,” said William Parker, PhD, associate professor of
surgery at Duke and senior author of the stud