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Updated: Oct 10, 2026

Breast Milk Enhances Growth of Enteroids: An Ex Vivo Model of Cell Proliferation
Published on: February 15, 2018
Shared patterns of human milk composition link mammary gland function to infant growth
April Jauhal1,2, Bianca Cordazzo-Vargas1,2, Daniel Sunko1,2
1Institute for Systems Genetics, New York Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract:
The mammary gland produces nutrient-rich human milk (HM), yet how mammary functional state shapes HM composition and infant outcomes remains poorly understood. We used HM multi-omics - metabolomics, proteomics, micronutrients, macronutrients, and HM oligosaccharides - across 1,543 samples from three cohorts, including two randomized trials, as a noninvasive readout of mammary functional state. Trajectory modeling and multi-omic integration showed that maternal supplementation improved recovery from early growth faltering and revealed a shared HM compositional axis linking maternal nutrition to infant growth. Machine learning, with Human Protein Atlas-informed proteomics, identified seven HM biomarkers reflecting variation across key mammary domains, indexing milk synthesis, barrier integrity, and immune/repair activity. Elevated valerylcarnitine and low pantothenic acid emerged as metabolic signals linking mammary functional state to infant growth.
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