The Impact of Human Milk’s Structure–Function on Early Human Health and Lifespan
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 47
Special Issue Editors
Interests: nutrition; microbiota; pediatric obesity; bone health; neurodevelopmental disorders; autism; breastfeeding; newborns; pollution; pediatric nephrology; autoimmune diseases; early-life nutrition; developmental origins of health and disease; epigenetics; inflammation; immunometabolism
Interests: childhood obesity; cardiovascular health; liver health; metabolic syndrome; insulin resistance; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; small for gestational age; nutrition; immune system cells; bone health; short stature; pediatric endocrinology; diabetes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Human milk is a complex and dynamic biological fluid that provides essential nutrients and bioactive components crucial for early growth, immune system development, and long-term health outcomes. Beyond its nutritional composition, the structural organization of human milk, including macronutrients, bioactive peptides, oligosaccharides, and lipid structures, plays a pivotal role in shaping neonatal physiology and metabolic programming.
Recent advances in analytical techniques have provided new insights into how the molecular interactions and functional properties of human milk influence infant health and disease susceptibility later in life. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest research on the structure–function relationship of human milk and its impact on key developmental processes, including gut microbiota maturation, immune modulation, neurodevelopment, metabolic programming, and long-term disease prevention.
We welcome the submission of original research articles, systematic reviews, and clinical studies covering topics such as milk composition analysis, bioactive molecule interactions, the role of maternal nutrition in milk composition, and novel approaches to optimizing infant nutrition. This issue will serve as a platform to advance our understanding of human milk’s unique properties and their role in shaping lifelong health trajectories.
Dr. Ilaria Farella
Dr. Maria Felicia Faienza
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- human milk composition
- breastfeeding
- bioactive molecules
- structural properties of human milk
- milk oligosaccharides
- neonatal immune development
- gut microbiota and breastfeeding
- nutritional programming
- developmental origins of health and disease
- early-life nutrition
- long-term health
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