Nursing mothers have long known that by breastfeeding, they
are passing on immunities to their babies to help fight viruses and
illnesses. Now, researchers believe they are beginning to understand
exactly how that illness protection works.
A group of researchers have identified a specific kind of protein in
breastmilk that helps jump-start a baby's immune system, providing
active protection to the baby. The protein, called soluble CD14, works
to develop B cells, which are immune cells that are instrumental in
the production of antibodies.
The researchers, led by Dr. Michael Julius of the University of
Toronto and the Toronto Hospital, published their finding in the
January 16, 2001 edition of the Proceeding of the National Academy of
Science (Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol. 98, Issue 2, 603-608)
Researchers had known about CD14 for some time, but they had not clearly understood its
function.
"This is the first demonstration of this biological activity of
the molecule and the fact that it is so extraordinarily enriched in
mammary secretions," Dr. Julius told Reuters news service.
Dr. Julius and his colleagues at the University of Western Ontario,
Osaka University and Toronto-based GEMMA Biotechnology Inc. studied
CD14 and the B cells in mice to come up with their findings. Further
tests revealed that human milk and colostrum are rich in CD14.
Click here to read an abstract of this study.
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