Introducing the brain: breast milk enhances connectivity (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, November 29, 2023, 17:09 (150 days ago) @ David Turell

Specifically, myo-inositol:

https://www.the-scientist.com/news/myo-inositol-in-human-breast-milk-improves-brain-con...

"In an earlier study, Biederer’s group determined that an omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), that is present in breast milk improves synaptic connectivity and information processing in the maturing cortex.

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"The researchers looked for micronutrients that changed in abundance over the course of lactation and that were independent of race or diet, as this conservation would suggest that these components are functionally important. They found that the carbocyclic sugar myo-inositol was abundant during early lactation when the infant’s brain is rapidly forming new synaptic connections but decreased in concentration over the course of lactation.

"The researchers tested if myo-inositol could affect brain connectivity by exposing primary human glutamatergic and rat neuronal cultures to the bioactive compound and immunostaining the synapses’ presynaptic and postsynaptic sites. They found that myo-inositol increased the size and abundance of postsynaptic sites. Because scientists have correlated synaptic size with transmission strength, this indicated that myo-inositol improved neuronal connectivity. Furthermore, the number of areas showing colocalization between presynaptic and postsynaptic markers in rat neuronal cultures rose with increasing myo-inositol concentration, which suggested that this micronutrient promotes synapse formation."

Comment: breast milk is the gold standard in feeding infants. Myo-inositol is a glaring proof. Natural evolution cannot produce this result. The mother is not the infant. Their DNA differ. The lactation cells in the breast cannot 'know' of the need. There is no way to create a trial-and-error approach. This is a direct example of design for future use just as female babies are designed for future pregnancies even if one never occurs. Hopefully these examples will teach dhw design for future use exists in humans and all of evolution.