Breast milk

Breast milk is produced by the mammary glands of females after delivery and is used to feed the infant. It contains all of the nutrients required for the infant to develop correctly and its composition changes over time to meet the infant's requirements. Colostrum, or first days milk, is followed by mature milk.

Breast milk has the following composition: water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins (alpha lactalbumin, lactoferrin, casein...), salts, and trace elements.

Antibodies produced by the mother in breast milk provides the infant with the immune defences that it does not have during the first few months of life.