Breast Milk Composition and Feeding Strategies for Healthy Infant Growth
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 April 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: breastmilk composition; breastfeeding; endocrinology; metabolic hormones
2. Alzheimer & Tauopathies, LabEX DISTALZ, 59045 Lille, France
Interests: molecular cloning; cloning; nutrition; cell culture; protein expression; hypertension; insulin resistance; metabolism; metabolic diseases; diabetes; perinatal programming; neuroendocrinology: Alzheimer disease; adaptation to stress
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Breastfeeding plays a crucial role in shaping infant nutrition, influencing both prompt health outcomes and long-term developmental trajectories. Breastfeeding is not merely a biological process but a dynamic interplay between mother and child, where each dyad uniquely contributes to the nutritional landscape of infancy. Responsive feeding—recognizing and responding to infant hunger and satiety signals—promotes healthy growth patterns and strengthens the mother-infant bond. Ensuring adequate maternal nutrition and hydration further supports optimal breast milk quality. Understanding these patterns may enhance support for effective and secure feeding practices. Diverse elements shape human lactation; stressors faced by mothers or socioeconomic disparities can significantly alter lactation processes, thereby impacting the quality of nutrition provided to the infant. The existence of adequate policies and protocols is recognized as the foundational step for promoting, protecting, and supporting optimal breastfeeding practices. Despite the evidence-based recommendations and guidelines, a considerable proportion of infants are fed in a way that impairs the maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding during postnatal adaptation. Overall, tailored feeding strategies and understanding breast milk’s composition are essential for promoting lifelong health in infants.
As research continues to unfold, in this Special Issue of Nutrients, works aim to emphasize the most recent results of breast milk research that considers both individual circumstances and systemic factors affecting current infant nutrition trends.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Vass Reka Anna
Prof. Dr. Didier Vieau
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- infant nutrition
- breast milk
- colostrum
- lactation
- formula feeding
- exclusive breastfeeding
- macronutrients
- immune support
- on-demand feeding
- responsive feeding
- maternal nutrition
- infant growth
- socioeconomic status
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