LLLI Center for Breastfeeding Information

Journal Abstract of the Month for July 2004

"Suppressive effects of breast milk on oxidative DNA damage in very low birthweight infants"

Authors:

H Shoji
T Shimizu
K Shinohara
S Oguchi
S Shiga
Y Yamashiro

Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal and Neonatal Edition

Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2004; 89: F136-F138.

Premature infants are exposed to many sources of oxygen free radical production, and premature infants are known to be at an increased risk of radical damage. The imbalance between oxidant generating systems and antioxidants in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants is implicated in the pathogenesis of major complications for premature infants such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), chronic lung disease, retinopathy of prematurity and intraventricular hemorrhage. The antioxidant effect of breast milk was measured. The results suggest the oxidative DNA damage is considerably more suppressed in breast fed VLBW infants than in formula fed VLBW infants at 14 and 28 days of age. This study is the first to present direct evidence of the antioxidant action of human milk in VLBW infants by measuring urinary 8-OHdG excretion. The authors are from the Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

This paper is being categorized with the following KEYWORDS:

Prematures
Antioxidants
DNA
HM -- Immune Properties
Physiology

More information about this article is available at the National Library of Medicine PubMed site:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed