Russian researchers, in collaboration with scientists from Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom, have discovered that the fatty acid composition of breast milk is closely related to the fatty acid composition in the brains of young mammals.
The Skoltech University press office notes that scientists believe these results reflect how the milk of each species, throughout its evolutionary journey, has adapted to the growing brain needs of its offspring.
The researchers reached these conclusions after analyzing 837 milk samples and 194 brain samples from humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, pigs, goats, cows, and yaks. They also identified 81 types of fatty acids in milk and 33 types in brain tissue.
It was found that the composition and proportions of fatty acids in milk are largely consistent with their composition in the brains of individuals of the same species, while clear differences appeared between different species, indicating that the milk of each species contains a mixture of elements most suitable for the development of the nervous system of its young.
The researchers also discovered a particularly strong link between milk composition and the prefrontal cortex in the brains of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques—a region responsible for complex cognitive functions such as planning, decision-making, and social behavior. A clear correlation was also found between very long-chain fatty acids in milk and those found in the brain, and this link was even more pronounced in humans.
These findings suggest that the composition of milk has evolved to support the growth of the most energy-intensive and behaviorally important brain regions, according to researchers from Skolkovo University of Science and Technology.
