(Poly)phenols in Human Breast Milk and their health benefits for the newborn

Abstract Human breast milk is the first food source available to newborns and is responsible for healthy growth and development during the first months of life. Human breast milk contains vitamins, hormones, cytokines, microbiota, and immune cells that are responsible for such healthy conditions. Nonetheless, knowledge of the vast array of molecules present in human breast milk and their potential health effects is still lacking. The effects of mothers’ diets on the molecules present in human breast milk are also generally unknown. The health benefits of (poly)phenols have been largely increasing but their presence in breast milk has been put largely aside. The impact of the mother’s diet in the presence and quantification of these molecules in milk has also been overlooked. Above all, the potential benefits of (poly)phenols for newborns are just a vast emptiness of what is known about (poly)phenol research.