Human Milk, Infant Growth Trajectories and Long-Term Health
A Special Issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643) belonging to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2027 | Viewed by 7
Editors
Interests: breastfeeding; breastfeeding self efficacy; gut microbiota; complementary feeding ecological model
Interests: neonatology; nutrition; microbiota; first 1000 days of life; pediatric and neonatal gastroenterology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Human milk is a dynamic, bioactive fluid uniquely adapted to support infant growth and development during a critical window of developmental plasticity. Its composition is highly variable across individuals and over time, reflecting maternal, physiological, and environmental influences, and plays a central role in shaping early growth patterns and metabolic outcomes. In contrast to formula-fed infants, breastfed infants typically exhibit a distinct growth trajectory, characterized by more rapid weight and length gain during early infancy, followed by a deceleration in growth velocity during later infancy and early childhood (approximately 2–3 years), a pattern associated with a reduced risk of later obesity (Victora et al., 2016).
Mechanistically, the macronutrient composition of human milk—particularly its relatively lower protein content compared to formula and its variable fat content—has been implicated in the regulation of early weight gain and adiposity development. Higher protein intake in early life has been associated with increased insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) secretion, which may promote accelerated weight gain and adipogenic pathways. In addition, human milk contains a wide range of bioactive components, including appetite-regulating hormones such as leptin and adiponectin, growth factors, and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which collectively influence energy regulation, gut microbiota composition, and long-term metabolic programming.
This Special Issue will bring together interdisciplinary research to advance understanding of the biological, nutritional, and contextual determinants through which human milk influences infant growth trajectories. By highlighting recent methodological advances, personalized nutrition approaches, and strategies to strengthen breastfeeding and lactation support, it aims to address critical evidence gaps and inform future research, clinical practice, and public health policy.
Reference
1. Victora, C.G.; Bahl, R.; Barros, A.J.D.; Franca, G.V.A.; Horton, S.; Krasevec, J.; Murch, S.; Sankar, M.J.; Walker, N.; Rollins, N.C.; et al. Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect. Lancet 2016, 387, 475–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(15)01024-7.
Dr. Mary Economou
Dr. Maria Elisabetta Baldassarre
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- breastfeeding
- infant growth
- human milk
- infant development
- nutritional composition
- bioactive components
- growth outcomes
- early life nutrition
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