Growth and nutrition: the first six months

Today the WHO Growth Chart Standards, based on the growth of breastfed infants, are used. These growth curves solve the problem of the deviating observations for breastfed compared to non-breastfed infants using previous growth charts. Presently it is not clear how the mother's diet, especially the fat intake, influences the growth of the offspring. Animal experiments indicate that a low intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids via the milk may have short- and long-term negative consequences. There is limited information in man. It has been suggested that the mammary glands may have phylogenetically originated from glands providing innate immunity, later developing capacities for providing nutrition. This would agree with the fact that human milk contains so many major components which do not primarily function as nutrients, but seem to protect nutrition and growth. Lactoferrin, oligosaccharides, glycoproteins, secretory IgA antibodies, alpha-lactalbumin and the antisecretory factor have such functions.