Breast milk oxytocin and s-IgA modulate infant biomarkers and social engagement; The role of maternal anxiety.

ABSTRACT: Breastfeeding has long been known to improve infants' health and mental development and to enhance the mother-infant bond, but much less research focused on the biological composition of breast milk and its associations with the infant's biomarkers and social development. In this exploratory study, we measured oxytocin (OT) and secretory immunoglobulin-A (s-IgA), the most abundant antibody in breast milk, and evaluated their associations with the same biomarkers in infant saliva and, consequently, with infant social engagement behavior. Fifty-five mother-infant dyads were home-visit and OT and s-IgA were assessed from breast milk and from infant saliva before and after a free-play interaction. Infant social behavior was coded offline using the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) and maternal

SUBMITTER: Zagoory-Sharon O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10765300 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature