Breast Milk Is Understudied. What Are Scientists Learning Now?

Science Friday

Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Life Sciences, Wnyc, Science, Earth Sciences, Natural Sciences, Friday

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🗓️ 14 August 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

There are a lot of claims about breast milk, but we know little about this sophisticated substance. Two researchers update us on the latest.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Flora Lichtenen, and you're listening to Science Friday.
0:07.0	Today on the show, we're talking about our first and arguably most fundamental form of nutrition.
0:14.0	But how well do we really understand it?
0:16.5	We know more about what's in a strawberry than what's in human milk.
0:24.3	If We know more about what's in a strawberry than what's in human milk. If you found yourself scrolling through the online breastfeeding world, you know that people have a lot of strong opinions about breast milk.
0:34.5	It's a magic elixir.
0:36.6	Breast is best. Look at how big my baby got after three months of exclusive breast milk. It's a magic elixir. Breast is best. Look at how big my baby got after three months of
0:40.4	exclusive breastfeeding is a video I get served a lot more than I'd like. But what exactly
0:46.4	do we know about the biology of breast milk? Does breast milk really adapt to a baby's needs?
0:53.4	Does it confer immunity? How does making breast milk impact the breast feeder?
0:58.8	Here to spend through the science of this very sophisticated substance are two experts in the field.
1:04.3	Dr. Shelley Maguire, professor at the University of Idaho and director of the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences, based in
1:11.6	Moscow, Idaho. And Dr. Dipshika Ramanin, assistant professor at the Salk Institute for
1:16.5	Biological Studies based in San Diego, California. Welcome to you both to Science Friday.
1:22.0	Thank you for having me. I echo that. It's great to be here.
1:25.8	Shelly, let's start with you. You have researched breast milk for decades.
1:29.5	You know, to me, it seems like a pretty important substance for human existence.
1:35.9	How much attention has it gotten from science?
1:39.2	Oh, golly. What a question. Thanks for asking that.
1:42.6	Yeah, this is the most important food that Mother Nature has ever created. And it seems like we should know everything about it, but we don't. We know more about what's in a strawberry than what's in human milk. And that's not because there aren't people interested in it, and that's not because there aren't
2:01.3	great scientists.
2:03.0	But the funding for this topic really has been not where it should be.
	...

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