Human milk has been shown to be the ideal source of nutrition for most
growing infants, Its composition continues to be an active area of in
vestigation. In several studies in preterm and term infants, long-chai
n polyunsaturated fatty acids were found to improve the maturation of
visual evoked potentials. The clinical significance of this finding, h
owever, remains unclear. Nucleotides present in breast milli or added
to infant formula seem to enhance the humoral immune response to vacci
nation, Whether breastfeeding protects susceptible infants from the ri
sk of the development of diabetes mellitus type 1 is still controversi
al. Breastfeeding by mothers infected with the human immunodeficiency
virus is not recommended. Other viruses and pollutants have also been
found in breast milk. The importance of these in the long-term health
of children remains to be established.