Miraculous mixture: Mother’s milk

And We have enjoined upon man goodness towards his parents: His mother
bore him by bearing strain upon strain, and his weaning was in two
years: "[Hence, O man,] be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me
is the eventual coming." (Qur'an, 31:14)
Mother's milk is a matchless compound created by Allah to meet the
baby's nutritional needs and protect it against possible infections.
The balance of the nutriments in mother's milk is at ideal levels and
the milk is in the ideal form for the baby's immature body. At the
same time, the mother's milk is also veryrich in nutrients which
accelerate the growth ofbrain cells and the development of the nervous
system. 1 Artificial baby foods prepared with present-day technology
cannot replace this miraculous food.
The list of advantages to the baby provided by mother's milk is being
added to every day. Research has shown thatbabies who are fed mother's
milk are particularly protected against infections concerning the
respiratory and digestive systems. That isbecause the antibodies in
mother's milk provide a direct defence against infection. Other
anti-infection propertiesof mother's milk are thatit provides a
hospitable environment for "good" bacteria called "normal flora" thus
constituting abarrier to harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites.
Furthermore, it has also been established that there are factors in
mother's milk which arrange the immune system against infectious
diseases and allow it to function properly. 2
Since the mother's milk has been specially designed, it is the most
easily digestible food forbabies. Despite being nutritionally very
rich, it is easily digested by the baby's sensitive digestive system.
Since the baby thus expends less energy on digestion,it is able to use
that energy for other bodily functions, growth and organ development.
The milk of mothers whohave had premature babies contains higher
levels of fat, protein, sodium, chloride and iron to meet the baby's
needs. Indeed, it has been established that the functions of the eye
develop better in premature babies fed onmother's milk and that they
perform better in intelligence tests. In addition, they also have a
great many other advantages.
One of the ways in which mother's milk is important to the development
of the new-born baby is the fact that it contains omega-3 oil alpha
linoleic acids. As well as being an important compound for the human
brain and retina, it is also of great importance from the point of
view of new-born babies. Omega-3 is of particular importance
throughout pregnancy and the early stages of babyhood if the brain and
nerves areto develop normally. Scientists particularly emphasise the
importance of mother's milk as a natural and perfect store of omega-3.
3
Furthermore, research by Bristol University scientists revealed that
among the long-term benefits of mother's milkare its positive effect
on blood pressure, thanks to which the risk of heart attack is
reduced. The research team concluded that the protective nature of
mother's milk stems from its nutritional content. According to the
results of the research, published in the medical journal Circulation,
babies fed on mother's milk are lesslikely to develop heart disease.
It has been revealed that the presence in mother's milk of long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids—these prevent hardening of the
arteries—along with thefact that babies fed on mother's milk consume
less sodium—this is closely linked to blood pressure—and do not, asa
result, gain excessive amounts of weight are among the ways that
mother's milk benefits the heart. 4
In addition, a team led by Dr. Lisa Martin, of the Cincinnati
Children's Hospital Medical Centre in the USA, found high levels of
the protein hormone known as adiponectin in mother's milk. 5 High
blood levels of adiponectin are associated with a reduced risk of
heart attack. Low levels of adiponectin are found inpeople who are
obese and who are at increased risk of a heart attack. It was
therefore established that the risk of obesity in babies fed on
mother's milk declined in relation to this hormone. Furthermore, they
also discovered the presence of another hormone called leptin in the
mother's milk which has a central role in fat metabolism. Leptin is
believed to be a signal to the brain that there is fat on the body.
According to Dr. Martin's announcement, therefore, these hormones
absorbed in babyhood through mother's milk reduce therisk of such
illnesses as obesity, type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, and
coronary artery disease. 6
Facts about "The Freshest Food"
The facts about the mother's milk are not restricted to these. The
contribution it makes to the baby's health alters according to the
phases the baby undergoes and whichever foodstuff is required at a
particular stage, the contents of the milk change to meet those very
specific needs.
Mother's milk, ready at all times and at the ideal temperature, plays
a major role in brain development because of the sugar and fat it
contains.
In addition, elements such as calcium in it play a large role in the
development of the baby's bones.
Although it is called milk,this miraculous compound actually consists
mostly of water. This is a most important feature because in addition
to food, babies also need liquid in the form of water. Full hygiene
may not be established in water or foodstuffs other than mother's
milk. Yet mother's milk—90% water no less—, meets the baby's water
needs in the most hygienic manner.
Mother's Milk and Intelligence
Scientific research showsthat the cognitive development in breast-fed
babies is greater than that in other babies. A comparative analysis of
breast-fed babies and formula-fed babies by James W. Anderson—an
expert from the University of Kentucky—established that the IQs of
babies fedon mother's milk were 5 points higher than thoseof other
babies. As a result of this study, it was determined that intelligence
is benefited by mother's milk for up to 6 months and that children who
are breast-fed for less than 8 weeksshow no IQ benefit. 7
Does Mother's Milk Combat Cancer?
As a result of all the research performed, it is proven that mother's
milk, on which hundredsof papers have been published, protects babies
against cancer. This, despite the fact that the mechanism is not yet
fully understood.When a protein from themother's milk killed off
tumour cells which had been grown in laboratories without damaging any
healthy cells, researchers stated that a great potential has emerged.
Catharina Svanborg, professor of clinical immunology at Lund
University in Sweden, headed the research team that discovered these
miraculous secrets of mother's milk. 8 This team at Lund University
have described the way that mother's milk provides protection against
many forms of cancer as a miraculous discovery.
Initially, researchers treated intestinal mucous cells taken from
new-born babies with mother's milk. They observed that the disorder
caused by the bacterium Pneumococcus and known as pneumonia was
efficiently halted by mother's milk. What is more, babies fed on
mother's milk encounter far fewer hearing difficulties than those fed
on formula and suffer far fewer respiratory infections. After a series
of studies, it was shown that mother's milk also provides protection
against cancer. After showing that the incidence of the lymph cancer
observed in childhood was nine times greater in formula-fed children,
they realised that the same results applied to other forms of cancer.
According to the results, mother's milk accurately locates the cancer
cells and later destroys them. It is a substance called alpha-lac
(alphalactalbumin), present in large quantities in mother's milk, that
locates and kills the cancer cells. Alpha-lac is produced by a protein
that assists in the manufacture of the sugar lactose in the milk.9
This Matchless Blessing Isa Gift from Allah
Another miraculous feature of mother's milk is the fact that it is
exceedingly beneficial for the baby to be fed with it for two years.
10 This important information, only recently discovered by science,
was revealed by Allah fourteen centuries ago in the verse: "Mothers
should nurse their children for two full years—those who wish to
complete the fullterm of nursing…" (Qur'an, 2:233)
In the same way that themother does not decide to produce milk, the
most ideal source of nourishment for the helpless baby in need of
feeding in her body, neither does she decide on the various
nutritional levels within it. It is Almighty Allah, Who knows the
needs ofand displays mercy to every living thing, Who creates mother's
milk forthe baby in the mother's body.
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1- "High-Risk Newborn—The Benefits of Mother's Own Milk," University
of Utah HealthSciences Center,
www.uuhsc.utah.edu/healthinfo/pediatric/Hrnewborn/bhrnb.htm.
2- Ibid.
3- C. Billeaud, et al., European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997,
vol. 51, 520-526.
4- "Breast milk 'does cut heart risk'," 1 March 2004,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3523143.stm.
5- "Breast milk helps reduce obesity," 2 May 2004,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3673149.stm.
6- Ibid.
7- Tim Whitmire, "IQ Gain from Breastfeeding,"
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/breastfeeding990923.html.
8- "Breakthrough in Cancer Research,"
www.mediconvalley.com/news/Article.asp?NewsID=635.
9- Peter Radetsky,"Human Breast Milk Kills Cancer Cells," Discover 20,
No. 06, June 1999.
10- Rex D. Russell, "Design in Infant Nutrition,"
www.icr.org/pubs/imp/imp-259.htm.