Breast-Feeding: Early Influences on Later Health

Breast-Feeding: Early Influences on Later Health is a new book which draws together areas of research in early lifel programming of adult health, with a unique focus on the post-natal period in terms of early life programming particularly the extent to which differences in infant feeding practices can lay an indelible imprint on metabolism and behaviour, and hence affect later function and risk of disease. This is an area where there is much less information currently available than there is for fetal programming, and the book raises many new questions and highlights numerous areas where further research is needed. The book chapters are arranged in three core sections: Chapters 1-4 lay down some of the basic biology of early life development; Chapters 5-9 examine how breast-milk and breast-feeding might -programme- these processes by acting as modulators of development; Chapters 10-17 examine the epidemiological evidence that such effects do indeed exist. In addition the book includes unique chapters on the Evolution of human lactation and complementary feeding, The Macy-György Prize Lecture -My Milky Way-, updates on HIV and Breast-Feeding and on Early breastfeeding cessation and infant mortality in low-income countries, and measuring trace immune factors in human milk, all important topics that have such a critical impact on child health and survival in many countries.

Growth and Organ Development.- Nutrient Transfer: Mammary Gland Regulation.- Micronutrient Transfer: Infant Absorption.- Developmental Aspects of the Mucosal Immune System: Role of External Environment, Mucosal Microflora and Milk.- Infant Feeding and Growth.- Intestinal Flora.- Transenteric Signalling: Mammary Messages or White Noise?.- Immune Function.- Flavour Programming during Breast-Feeding.- Methodological Challenges in Studying Long-term Effects of Breast-Feeding.- The Long Term Effects of Early Postnatal Diet on Adult Health.- Protective Effect of Breast-Feeding against Obesity in Childhood: Can a Meta-analysis of Published Observational Studies Help to Validate the Hypothesis?.- Breast-Feeding Influences on Later Life - Cardiovascular Disease.- Do Infants Who Are Breast-fed Have an Altered Risk of Developing Cancer?.- Effects of Breast-feeding on Cognitive Function.- Developmental Origins of Osteoporotic Fracture.- The Long-term Effects of Breast-feeding on Asthma and Atopic Disease.- Evolution of Human Lactation and Complementary Feeding: Implications for Understanding Contemporary Cross-cultural Variation.- Macy-György Prize Lecture: My Milky Way.- Exclusive Breast-feeding and HIV Infection.- Breast-feeding Practices in Relation to HIV in India.- Breast-feeding and HIV-1 Infection: Maternal Health.- Early Breast-feeding Cessation and Infant Mortality in Low-income Countries.- Measuring Trace Immune Factors in Human Milk.- Abstracts of Poster Presentations.