Breast milk has been called nature’s most perfect food for newborns since it is loaded with proteins that guard against infection, fats that aid in the development of the nervous system, and carbohydrates that promote the growth of healthy bacteria.
Now, according to a new study published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine, there is a significant amount of nitrites and nitrates contained in breast milk, which contributes to the development of gastrointestinal, immune, and cardiovascular systems, reports Science Daily.
Dr. Nathan Bryan headed up a team at the University of Texas in Houston that was able to demonstrate the changing rate of nitrite and nitrate in milk by measuring the exact and varied amounts of these elements transmitted over the course of the first two weeks of life.
Researchers analyzed breast milk samples from 79 mothers, taken over an eight day period following childbirth. Breast milk follows three distinct phases: colostrum (after three days), transitional milk (between the third and seventh day), and mature milk (after eight or more days).
They discovered that colostrum had significantly higher concentrations of nitrite and significantly lower concentrations of nitrate than either transition or mature milk. Dr Bryan believes it may be nature’s way of providing nitric oxide to the newborns whose gastrointestinal tract is not yet colonized by the bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite. Nitrite-rich colostrum overcomes this deficit, he noted.