(Winnipeg, MB – November 11, 2009) Breast milk has always been the ultimate source of nutrition for newborns; however, for premature babies the options for mothers’ milk can be greatly reduced. Karine Duhamel, a mom from La Broquerie, knows the importance of breast feeding however, when her daughter, Claire, was born 7 weeks premature she wasn’t able to breast feed naturally. Claire, only 4 pounds and 3 ounces, was in hospital for the first 2 ½ weeks of her life. During that time, tiny Claire was fed Karine’s expressed milk through a tube directly into her stomach. But for mothers’ who can’t express their milk, researchers at the Manitoba Institute of Child Health are currently working on harnessing a naturally produced chemical in mothers’ milk that will help premature babies get the nutrients they need. 

Dr. James Friel, along with his research team at the Institute, has discovered a ‘magic molecule’ in breast milk called Tryptophan, which they believe acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. This chemical which is naturally produced in a mother’s body, can be used to treat everything from gastro-intestinal illnesses to Crohn’s disease. Dr. Friel says, “Since Tryptophan plays a role in the synthesis of important molecules such as serotonin, melatonin, and niacin, we believe that it is a powerful free radical scavenger that should be examined further, especially in preterm infants where antioxidant defence systems are less developed.” Their findings were published in the scientific journal Pediatric Research on September 2, 2009. 

View the article abstract on Pubmed.

Dr. James Friel is a Scientist at the Manitoba Institute of Child Health and a Professor in the Department of Human Nutritional Sciences and Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba.