MITOGENIC ACTIVITY OF HUMAN-BREAST MILK

There are constituents of breast milk that make it superior to cows milk for the nutrition, health, and development of human infants. We have discovered a new activity in breast milk. We have found in human breast milk a mitogen that stimulates DNA synthesis and induces division in cells grown in culture. This mitogenic activity is concentration dependent and also depends on time since lactation. No similar mitogenic activity is found in commercially available formulas or cows milk 1 week after birthing. The human milk mitogen might be involved in the growth and development of cells in the neonate or in the growth of cells in the mammary gland. © 1979.