Skip to main Communities My dashboard Log in Sign up Published February 7, 2026 | Version v1 Journal article Open Human Breast Milk as a Living Therapeutic System: Translational Implications for Neonatal Health Authors/Creators Bharathi Bhogenahalli Venkatappa Dr. Muchukota Sushma Sneha G Chandana BS Aiswarya S Description The use of human breast milk is gaining new recognition as more than just nutrition and as a multifaceted, dynamic, and biologically active environment with essential treatment effects in neonatal health. In addition to macronutrients, it has a variety of bioactive factors such as immunoglobulins, human milk oligosaccharides, antimicrobial peptides, cytokines, growth factors, microbiota, extra-cellular vesicles and microRNAs which, in combination, promote immune maturation, gut and brain development, metabolic programming and defense against infectious diseases and inflammatory diseases. This review summarizes the existing literature which conceives breast milk as a living therapeutic system with high level of translational application to the care of the neonatal population. We discuss mechanistic pathways by which breast milk has an impact on immune regulation, gut-microbiome interactions, neurodevelopment and long-term disease risk reduction, which are necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, allergic conditions, and metabolic disorders. New translational evidence that reveals the effects of breast milk-derived bioactive as natural immunomodulators, postbiotics, and epigenetic regulators is mentioned. The review also discusses clinical implications of vulnerable groups like preterm and low-birth-weight babies, as well as the issue of breast milk use, formula supplementation, and inequity in breastfeeding. This review brings together molecular biology, clinical neonatology, and translational nutrition science and emphasizes the importance of breast milk as a platform of early-life precision health and as a paradigm of the next generation of nutrition and therapeutic approaches. Keywords: Human breast milk, neonatal health, immune programming, microbiome, translational nutrition, bioactive milk components. Files AJPTR161006.pdf Files (752.7 kB) Name Size Download all AJPTR161006.pdf md5:97935bba73755bd3e05e80c7613ffa04 752.7 kB Preview Download 46 Views 17 Downloads Show more details All versions This version Views Total views 46 46 Downloads Total downloads 17 17 Data volume Total data volume 13.5 MB 13.5 MB More info on how stats are collected.... Versions External resources Indexed in OpenAIRE Communities Details DOI DOI Badge DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19506454 Markdown [](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19506454) reStructuredText .. image:: https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19506454.svg :target: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19506454 HTML <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19506454"><img src="https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19506454.svg" alt="DOI"></a> Image URL https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19506454.svg Target URL https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19506454 Resource type Journal article Publisher Zenodo Rights License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International The Creative Commons Attribution license allows re-distribution and re-use of a licensed work on the condition that the creator is appropriately credited. Read more Citation Export Technical metadata Created April 11, 2026 Modified April 11, 2026 Jump up About About Policies Infrastructure Principles Projects Roadmap Contact Blog Blog Support Help FAQ Developers REST API OAI-PMH Contribute GitHub Donate Funded by Powered by CERN Data Centre & InvenioRDM Status Privacy policy Cookie policy Terms of Use This site uses cookies. Find out more on how we use cookies Accept all cookies Accept only essential cookies