Breast milk promotes a different gut flora growth than infant formulas

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-08/dumc-bmp082712.php

Public release date: 27-Aug-2012
Contact: Sarah Avery
Duke University Medical Center

DURHAM, N.C. – The benefits of breast milk have long been appreciated, but now scientists at Duke University Medical Center have described a unique property that makes mother's milk better than infant formula in protecting infants from infections and illnesses.

The finding, published in the August issue of the journal Current Nutrition & Food Science, explains how breast milk, but not infant formula, fosters colonies of microbiotic flora in a newborn's intestinal tract that aid nutrient absorption and immune system development.