Enzyme Content Of Breast Milk
In general, the enzymes in breast milk are poorly understood components. However, knowing what enzymes exist in milk and what functions they perform can help you understand your baby’s digestion.
Did you know that your baby’s digestive system takes about a year to mature? The activity of certain enzymes and bacteria that act to break down and digest substrates such as proteins, fats, and sugars do not work at birth. For that reason, any perfectly healthy, happy, and prosperous baby must still struggle with poor digestion. This is the cause of common stomach ailments like gas, constipation, and reflux.
What is gastrointestinal immaturity of the baby?
The first thing is to understand that the immaturity of the baby’s digestive system is not a disadvantage, quite the opposite. The gentle digestion of the baby allows factors in the milk to pass through intact and fulfill specific functions in the baby’s body.
It is interesting to know that the intestinal epithelium of the baby is an ‘open’ epithelium. This means that it is permeable. For this reason, it will allow components of milk that are very valuable to it to pass into the bloodstream. This is the case, for example, of the antibodies present in milk, but also the immune cells that the mother ‘donates’ to the baby through milk. These cells are known to stay in the baby’s body for up to 60 days.
Components and enzymes of breast milk that promote intestinal maturation
Human milk contains a wide repertoire of enzymes that serve a variety of functions. So far, around 50 different enzymes have been detected in human milk. Also, breast milk contains growth factors, probiotic bacteria, and prebiotic compounds. Together, these and other components of milk induce the maturation of the gastrointestinal system.
Now that you know that your little one’s digestive system is still taking shape, it ‘s easier to understand why you have to wait until 6 months to introduce solid foods. If the baby starts eating them too early, they won’t be able to digest them properly.
What is an enzyme?
An enzyme is a special type of protein that works by speeding up a specific chemical reaction. Thus, each enzyme has only one job and is specific to the type of chemical reaction it produces.
Enzymes perform important functions necessary for survival, including those related to digestion and metabolism. In the absence of a functioning pancreas, the baby gets the enzymes it needs from breast milk and from its own saliva. Here are some enzymes in breast milk:
Amylase
Amylase is the main enzyme that digests or breaks down complex sugars (polysaccharides, such as starch). Babies have very little amylase; They essentially get it through breast milk. It is important to know that it is not until after six months of age that the child’s pancreas begins to release its own amylase. By two years, it will produce the amount of amylase that it needs.
Lipase, one of the enzymes in milk
Newborns can fully digest and use the fat in breast milk thanks to the action of the enzyme lipase. This enzyme is also in the baby’s saliva. Thus, lipase breaks down milk fat and separates it into free fatty acids and glycerol. This task is very important, because newborns get energy from free fatty acids.
Proteases
There is a whole repertoire of proteases in human milk that accelerate the breakdown of proteins. Thus, milk provides in high amounts different proteases that act on different portions within the same protein.
There are many more enzymes in breast milk, some well defined, such as trypsin, plasmin, pepsin, and elastase. However, others remain undiscovered.
Recently, the presence of a very particular type of antibody was demonstrated, an antibody that could digest milk proteins. This special antibody could also cut a receptor on the intestinal cell and trigger a signal in the cells that prompted them to mature. Fascinating, right?
Other enzymes in breast milk
There are more than 40 enzymes identified in human milk. Some of the other active enzymes include nucleases, diastase, and lactoperoxidase.
Are there enzymes in infant formula?
Infant formulas contain enzymes, but many of the enzymes found in human breast milk are not in the formula. Formula makers add some enzymes, and some are found naturally in cow’s milk.
It is important to know that the enzymes found in milk are specific to each species that produces it. For example, human breast milk contains enzymes made for human babies and cow’s milk contains enzymes made for proper calf function.
Therefore, it is a fact that infant formula that is based on cow’s milk does not have the same enzymes as human breast milk. Even when companies add enzymes to infant formula, it cannot match the variety of enzymes that breast milk provides.
Often times, commercial formulas supplement their product with enzymes from other sources. For example, proteases from papaya, pineapple, and whole grains are added. Lipase and amylase can also complement each other. Still, keep in mind that milk has dozens of different enzymes.
