According to Portsmouth.co.uk, a new research says that there is a hormone in mothers' milk that may affect the social behavior of children long after they are weaned. Scientists conducted a study on 26 female rhesus monkeys and their infants. The team checked the effects of the hormone called Cortisol. It is the so called "stress" hormone found in mother's milk, that may be affect the social behavior of babies.
The team found that babies who were suckled on milk containing higher levels of the hormone appeared to be less impulsive at the age of six. The baby monkeys were tempted with marshmallows by the scientists to test their impulsivity.High concentrations of cortisol were associated with less social behavior initiation such as grooming and playing, However, this was only evident in male offsprings. There were studies before that linked high cortisol level in milk to a nervous temperament for both humans and monkeys. Last year, it was discovered that the levels of cortisol in breast milk can vary between mothers and that the hormone affects sons and daughters differently.
These findings were presented by Dr Amanda Dettmer, from the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the Society of Neuroscience annual meeting in Chicago. To summarize the findings, the results showed evident proof pointing to the role of these hormones in mother's milk, from birth until the infant neurological and behavioral development. They added that future studies will be able to get theories from these results to determine the mechanisms of this type. Further studies on mothers' milk could show early biological mechanisms involved in brain development and can lead to better infant formula
The team believes that there may be a possibility to discover the early biological mechanisms that is involved in the infants brain development through continuous study and research of the mother's mile and of course to further develop a better instant infant formula.
