Human milk contains a wealth of components that can directly modulate the i
mmunological development as well as the antimicrobial defenses of the recip
ient infant without inducing unwanted inflammatory responses. The presence
of these immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory factors in human milk sugge
sts a coordinated evolution of the development bf the immune system of the
infant and the ability of the mother to produce and secrete immune factors
from the mammary gland. This article reviews some of the major findings rel
ated to the presence and function of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory
factors in human milk.