The Composition of Human Milk

I find it fascinating that human milk contains all the nutrients needed for an infant, exclusively, for the first 6 months of their lives. So what is the composition for human milk and what are its nutritional benefits?

Contents Mature Milk (produced 2 weeks after infant birth)
Calories (kcal) 67
Fat (g) 4.2
Lactose (g) 7.0
Total Protein (g) 1.1
Calcium (mg) 30
Sodium (mg) 15
Vitamin A (µg) 75
Vitamin B1 (µg) 14
Vitamin B2 (µg) 40
Vitamin C (µg) 5

(Source: Food and Nutrition Bulletin. The United Nations University Press, Vol. 17, No. 4, December 1996.)

Nutritional Benefits:
• Companies that make Human Milk Substitutes (HMS), use breast milk as the standard
• The balance of nutrients in human milk matches the needs of the infant for growth and development; no other animal milk or HMS meets the needs as well
• The low protein content in human milk compared to cow’s milk meets the infants needs without overloading their little kidney’s with nitrogen
• Whey protein in human milk forms a soft, easily digestible curd
• Human milk provides quality amounts of lipids in the essential fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, medium-chain-triglycerides, and cholesterol
• Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially DHA, which promotes optimal development of the central nervous system, are present in human milk and are present in only some of the HMS marketed in the United States.

(Source: Brown, JE. Nutrition through the Life Cycle. Thomson/Wadsworth, 3rd Ed. 2008.)