The benefits of breastfeeding, for both the baby and the mother, are countless. In addition, new positive effects of the most complete food that we can offer to our children are constantly being discovered. The last one comes from the University of Huelva, where a research team, in collaboration with the General Hospital of Riotinto, has applied a new method of analysis in breast milk with which they have identified the presence of a new substance called selenoprotein P that it intervenes in hormonal production, in the immune system and transports selenium to the brain.
In the article, published in the journal Food Chemistry, its importance for the neurological development of the baby is clear.
The many benefits of the new substance
Until now, the exact amount of selenium and other minerals contained in breast milk was not known. The new analysis method developed by the experts of the UHU’s ‘Environmental Analysis and Bioanalysis’ group, makes it possible to quantify the levels of the different compounds that the baby receives, among which selenoprotein P has been identified for the first time.
Its transmission had been studied in pregnancy, through the umbilical cord and amniotic fluid, but its presence in breast milk was unknown. Its deficiency during pregnancy is associated with spontaneous abortion, gestational diabetes, premature delivery and low growth, among other obstetric complications.
This protein is responsible for transporting selenium from the liver, where it is synthesized, throughout the body, so it is a good biomarker of the amount of this mineral that we have in the body. Tamara García Barrera, Professor at the University of Huelva, director of the study, explains its importance for the development of the baby:
“The discovery in milk of selenium in the form of selenoprotein P opens up various possibilities for research on the influence of breastfeeding on the neurological development of the baby, since its action has been described in diseases such as Alzheimer’s.”
Selenium as an antioxidant
This mineral is essential for our body. In fact, the lack of selenium is related to cancer, infertility, the deterioration of immune and thyroid functions, the development of cardiovascular diseases or neurodegenerative pathologies.
In addition, specifically, selenoprotein is not only a transmitter of selenium, essential for our body, it also has extracellular antioxidant capacity that inhibits the activity of free radicals, compounds that cause cell death.
The results obtained open the way for new studies to obtain improved follow-on milks and other functional foods enriched in selenium. But before proposing a valid formula, researchers have to look at how the baby digests these nutrients and which parts are actually active in his body.
Via | Discover Foundation (Andalusian Foundation for the Dissemination of Innovation and Knowledge
Photos | iStock
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