Momtezuma Tuatara
23-11-09, 10:52 AM
Those who read my presentation to the doctors in May will remember why I said stem cells in breastmilk were so important.
This item in today's Herald requires comment:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/science/news/article.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10610920
Three types of stem cells may be why breast milk is best
4:00 AM Monday Nov 23, 2009
Breast milk, long revered for the nutritional advantages it gives a newborn, could be just as vital in terms of infant development, a leading scientist will claim this week.
Up to three different types of stem cells have been discovered in breast milk, new research shows. Sounds good, right?
Dr Mark Cregan, medical director at the Swiss healthcare and baby equipment company Medela, believes the existence of stem cells means breast milk could help a child "fulfil its genetic destiny", with a mother's mammary glands taking over from her placenta to guide infant development once her child is born. Yup.....
"Breast milk is the only adult tissue where more than one type of stem cell has been discovered. That is very unique and implies a lot about the impressive bioactivity of breast milk and the consequential benefits to the breastfed infant," said Dr Cregan, who is speaking at Unicef's Baby Friendly Initiative conference this week. Which makes you ask what else they don't know about breastmilk, but going on....
His research has isolated adult stem cells of epithelial (mammary) and immune origin, with "very preliminary evidence" that breast milk also contains stem cells that promotes the growth of muscle and bone tissue.
Again, logic would suggest this, after all, breastmilk isn't just milk. It's also an immune system. Moving on.
Scientists will use his discovery, made at the University of Western Australia in Perth, to try to harvest stem cells from breast milk for research on a range of issues - from why some mothers struggle to produce milk to testing new drugs that could aid milk production
and here is where I totally lose my rag.
Why do these men, not come and talk to us women and ask how it has happened over the years, that we have taken in hand, quite a few women, and helped them breastfeed, when the medical profession has not succeeded?
Okay, we might not succeed with them all, but I can count those on one hand. Some, not discussed here, were issues which I'm convinced were above the neck line.
But phsyiologically if we eliminate the "baggage" aspect of why some women won't, can't, don't breastfeed, the primary basis of successful breastfeeding, can be summed up in four words. "Garbage in" the mouth, and "Garbage out" the tit.
What many women don't appreciate is that breastmilk is actually a very complex structure which does require very good nutrition. Not just to make plenty of good stem cells, immunoglobulins et al, but for the mother to stay healthy.
Many women who breastfeed for extended lengths of time, start to get into strife when they burn the candle at too many ends... as in "go to work, life a high life, AND try to breastfeed,."
Okay, maybe I'm old fashioned, but breastfeeding is actually a "job".
"There is a plentiful resource of tissue-specific stem cells in breast milk, which are readily available and from a non-invasive and completely ethical source," Dr Cregan said. Okay.. this is a plentiful resource, but any of it left over shouldn't be going into drug manufacture. It should be used in breastmilk banks to fulfill the potential of other babies so that mothers don't line the pockets of the formula companies.
But then again, all Australian breastmilk banks pasteurise breastmilk, which significantly reduces it's worth, so rather than a breastmilk bank, perhaps mothers with spare, need to partner up with mothers with none, who CANNOT breastfeed.
Advocates hope the discovery will help lift Britain's breastfeeding rates: only one-third of babies are exclusively breastfed at one week, the number dropping to one-fifth at six weeks. How appalling is that stat!!!
At five months, only 3 per cent of mothers exclusively nurse their babies - although the World Health Organisation recommends babies should consume only breast milk until they are at least six months old.
Rosie Dodd, campaigns director at the National Childbirth Trust, said: "This finding highlights the many factors that are in breast milk that we know so little about and that all have different advantages, such as helping a baby's immune system to develop."
Dr Cregan said the discovery of immune stem cells was the most exciting development.
"It's quite possible that immune cells in breast milk can survive digestion and end up in the infant's circulation. This has been shown to be occurring in animals, and so it would be unsurprising if this was also occurring in human infants."
British scientists warned that just because stem cells exist in breast milk did not mean they could be used to develop a therapy - the ultimate goal of stem cell research.
Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London, said: "It may give us some insight into specific breast diseases and is potentially valuable when it comes to drug discovery and drug development but it is fanciful to think it could provide routine therapies."
- INDEPENDENT
I seriously hope so, because right now, the place where breastmilk belongs, is inside babies.
And I don't want to see an industry arise from breastmilking like the completely irresponsible cord-blood banking industry, which deprives babies of not only 30% of their blood volume, but also valuable stem cells.
it should be standard medical practice that no cord is ever clamped until 5 minutes after birth.
There is so much bad practice in terms of pregnancy care, lousy nutrition condoned by the medical profession too much intervention in labour, blase medical attitudes about breastfeeding and wholesale vaccinations.
put that all in one pot and it's little wonder there are huge problems for our wee ones.
Rant off.
This item in today's Herald requires comment:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/science/news/article.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10610920
Three types of stem cells may be why breast milk is best
4:00 AM Monday Nov 23, 2009
Breast milk, long revered for the nutritional advantages it gives a newborn, could be just as vital in terms of infant development, a leading scientist will claim this week.
Up to three different types of stem cells have been discovered in breast milk, new research shows. Sounds good, right?
Dr Mark Cregan, medical director at the Swiss healthcare and baby equipment company Medela, believes the existence of stem cells means breast milk could help a child "fulfil its genetic destiny", with a mother's mammary glands taking over from her placenta to guide infant development once her child is born. Yup.....
"Breast milk is the only adult tissue where more than one type of stem cell has been discovered. That is very unique and implies a lot about the impressive bioactivity of breast milk and the consequential benefits to the breastfed infant," said Dr Cregan, who is speaking at Unicef's Baby Friendly Initiative conference this week. Which makes you ask what else they don't know about breastmilk, but going on....
His research has isolated adult stem cells of epithelial (mammary) and immune origin, with "very preliminary evidence" that breast milk also contains stem cells that promotes the growth of muscle and bone tissue.
Again, logic would suggest this, after all, breastmilk isn't just milk. It's also an immune system. Moving on.
Scientists will use his discovery, made at the University of Western Australia in Perth, to try to harvest stem cells from breast milk for research on a range of issues - from why some mothers struggle to produce milk to testing new drugs that could aid milk production
and here is where I totally lose my rag.
Why do these men, not come and talk to us women and ask how it has happened over the years, that we have taken in hand, quite a few women, and helped them breastfeed, when the medical profession has not succeeded?
Okay, we might not succeed with them all, but I can count those on one hand. Some, not discussed here, were issues which I'm convinced were above the neck line.
But phsyiologically if we eliminate the "baggage" aspect of why some women won't, can't, don't breastfeed, the primary basis of successful breastfeeding, can be summed up in four words. "Garbage in" the mouth, and "Garbage out" the tit.
What many women don't appreciate is that breastmilk is actually a very complex structure which does require very good nutrition. Not just to make plenty of good stem cells, immunoglobulins et al, but for the mother to stay healthy.
Many women who breastfeed for extended lengths of time, start to get into strife when they burn the candle at too many ends... as in "go to work, life a high life, AND try to breastfeed,."
Okay, maybe I'm old fashioned, but breastfeeding is actually a "job".
"There is a plentiful resource of tissue-specific stem cells in breast milk, which are readily available and from a non-invasive and completely ethical source," Dr Cregan said. Okay.. this is a plentiful resource, but any of it left over shouldn't be going into drug manufacture. It should be used in breastmilk banks to fulfill the potential of other babies so that mothers don't line the pockets of the formula companies.
But then again, all Australian breastmilk banks pasteurise breastmilk, which significantly reduces it's worth, so rather than a breastmilk bank, perhaps mothers with spare, need to partner up with mothers with none, who CANNOT breastfeed.
Advocates hope the discovery will help lift Britain's breastfeeding rates: only one-third of babies are exclusively breastfed at one week, the number dropping to one-fifth at six weeks. How appalling is that stat!!!
At five months, only 3 per cent of mothers exclusively nurse their babies - although the World Health Organisation recommends babies should consume only breast milk until they are at least six months old.
Rosie Dodd, campaigns director at the National Childbirth Trust, said: "This finding highlights the many factors that are in breast milk that we know so little about and that all have different advantages, such as helping a baby's immune system to develop."
Dr Cregan said the discovery of immune stem cells was the most exciting development.
"It's quite possible that immune cells in breast milk can survive digestion and end up in the infant's circulation. This has been shown to be occurring in animals, and so it would be unsurprising if this was also occurring in human infants."
British scientists warned that just because stem cells exist in breast milk did not mean they could be used to develop a therapy - the ultimate goal of stem cell research.
Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London, said: "It may give us some insight into specific breast diseases and is potentially valuable when it comes to drug discovery and drug development but it is fanciful to think it could provide routine therapies."
- INDEPENDENT
I seriously hope so, because right now, the place where breastmilk belongs, is inside babies.
And I don't want to see an industry arise from breastmilking like the completely irresponsible cord-blood banking industry, which deprives babies of not only 30% of their blood volume, but also valuable stem cells.
it should be standard medical practice that no cord is ever clamped until 5 minutes after birth.
There is so much bad practice in terms of pregnancy care, lousy nutrition condoned by the medical profession too much intervention in labour, blase medical attitudes about breastfeeding and wholesale vaccinations.
put that all in one pot and it's little wonder there are huge problems for our wee ones.
Rant off.