Jennifer's post on thrush and support of my past post on the same issue made
me reflect on an issue that is very important.  How many newborn infants in
the USA are exclusively breastfed within a hospital setting?  It would make
an excellent study.  I suspect very few.  There are a huge number of reasons
for infants in the newborn period to get their mother's milk exclusively
besides the issue of candida.  Just thought this one patent speaks to other
reasons why all infants should get as much of their mother's milk in the
newborn period as possible.  This is patent # 4977137 at the US patent
office
and I tend to think of it is the base patent for the lactoferrin industry
that resides beside Baylor College of Medicine ( a company named Agennix
that
sells ge'd lactoferrin)  The patent is a Baylor College of Medicine patent.
(There are many other lactoferrin companies besides Agennix)  By the way
lactoferrin is used to treat people who are on chemo and those with AIDS
because the drugs mess up their intestinal tracts.  Of course this patent is
for adding lactoferrin into infant formula.  So, of course, my question is
why do this?  Why can't we encourage exclusive breastfeeding?  Yeah I know.
What would happen to the lactoferrin industry?  or the infant formula
industry?   Can't have a great economy without them....Valerie W. McClain,
IBCLC

The patent states:
"A substantial growth of the intestines of newborn animals takes place in
the
first one to three days after birth. For example, in newborn pigs who are
nursed by the mother, there is a substantial growth, approximately eight to
ten inches, of the intestines of the infant within the first few days after
birth. In a large number of human newborns, who are not nursed by the mother
but are placed on an infant's formula, this growth of the gastrointestinal
tract during the first few days may not occur, and, as a result, the infant
is predisposed to chronic intractable diarrhea which must be managed for a
period of three or more months at considerable expense and discomfort to the
infant.

The present invention is based upon the discovery that milk lactoferrin as a
dietary ingredient promotes the growth of the gastrointestinal tract when
added to infant formula or given separately from the formula and thus
reduces
the occurrence of chronic diarrhea and may assist in the management of
short-gut syndrome and avoids, at least to some extent, chronic intractable
diarrhea of the infant. The lactoferrin may be from a nonhuman animal or
human source. The milk containing the lactoferrin should not be processed,
such as by pasturization or the lactoferrin processed, extracted, or
purified
by a process which destroys the effectiveness of the lactoferrin. "

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html