Nutritional values of the different types of breast milk
Average composition of different types of breast milk and cow's milk
(data are expressed per 100g)
Fats in Breast Milk
In the first days of lactation, the lipids present in breast milk reach concentrations that are clearly lower than those of cow's milk, and then settle at only slightly lower values. On the other hand, the bioavailability of these lipids is very different, since at one week of life only 60% of those present in cow's milk would be absorbed, compared to 90% of maternal lipids.
Essential and polyunsaturated fatty acids are contained in greater quantities in human milk. It is important to note that the concentration of fats tends to increase in the mother's milk towards the end of the feeding, inducing the baby to feel satiety. This is not the case for artificial feeding, since these milks maintain the same composition from the beginning. at the end of the feed, dilating the stomach walls excessively and causing babies to eat more than necessary.
Fatty acid
Carbon atoms
Breast milk
Cow milk
Butyric acid
C4
tracks -0.40
2.0 -4.0
Capronic acid
C6
tracks -0.15
1.0 -3.8
Caprylic acid
C8
tracks -0.46
0.90 -1.9
Caprinic acid
C10
1.0 -2.0
1.2 -4.0
9-decenoic acid
C10: 1
tracks -0.10
0.20 -1.9
Lauric acid
C12
5.5 -7.5
2.25 -5.0
Lauroleic acid
C12: 1
tracks -0.10
0.2
Myristic acid
C14
6.2 -8.5
9.0 -16.0
Myristoleic acid
C14: 1
0.40 -0.60
1.1 -4.0
Palmtic acid
C16
20.4 -25.0
14.8 -35.3
Palmitoleic acid
C16: 1
2.90-3.30
1.7 -5.7
Stearic acid
C18
6.5 -8.0
9.0 -15.2
Oleic acid
C18: 1
31.3 -37.8
20.0 -44.0
Linoleic acid
C18: 2
7.0 -11.0
1.3 -3.7
Linolenic acid
C18: 3
0.25 -0.90
0.5
Arachidonic acid
C20: 4
0.46 -0.90
0.2
Eicosapentaenoic acid
C20: 5
0.12 -0.20
-
Dodecosahexanoic acid
C22: 6
0.30
-
Percentage content (by weight) in fatty acids of the lipid fraction of cow's and mother's milk
Butyric acid is present in limited quantities compared to cow's milk, which is particularly rich in medium and short-chain fatty acids. However, this fatty acid can have an irritating effect on the gastric mucosa of the newborn and it is therefore important that it is present in quantity limited.
Compared to cow's milk, breast milk has a higher quantity of polyunsaturated fatty acids, in particular oleic, linoleic, linolenic and arachindonic, as well as EPA and DHA, which are instead absent in cow's milk.
Carbohydrates in Breast Milk
Lactose is present in higher concentrations in breast milk than in cow's milk. In addition to this quantitative difference, there is also a qualitative one, since in human milk we find above all α-lactose, while in the cow's milk B-lactose prevails. This difference is very important, since the baby's digestive system is rich in α-lactase and is therefore able to digest breast milk much more easily.
Another advantage of human milk is that it is less sweet than cow's milk, so that it can positively influence the baby's future eating habits.
Lactose, in addition to providing energy, is the only source of galactose, a sugar necessary for the development of myelin sheaths; this monosaccharide also regulates the absorption of calcium and magnesium, as well as the pH of the stomach.
In addition to lactose, other sugars are also present in breast milk, represented by oligosaccharides that favor the development of a balanced bacterial flora in the intestine, very important because it protects the baby from gastroenteritis, produces vitamins useful for the well-being of the "organism and prevents" interaction of pathogens with cell receptors (has an anti-infective role).
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