Proceedings of a symposium, satellite to the 24th International Congress of Physiological Sciences, University of Pennsylvania.

This comprehensive Monograph examines all peripheral and central mechanisms of regulating the secretion of milk from the lactating breast. The author reviews the complete female breast development, starting with the early childhood, up to pregnancy and lactation. Structural and ultrastructural data on the alveolar-ductal system, together with details of breast innervation, are used to investigate the physiological process of lactation. Readers will appreciate the special focus on reflexes, both in the child and the mother, that help to regulate maternal milk production and secretion. Following this, the author sheds a light on the composition and dynamics of milk components during the different periods of lactation. The final section of this volume focusses on practical aspects of modern breastfeeding, like the use of breast pumps or galactogogues, to influence the productivity of milk production. These fundamental principles and structural details will be particularly useful for physiologists and clinicians working in gynecology and pediatrics.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the substance that binds all mammals together. After drawing its first breath, every newborn mammal turns his or her complete attention to obtaining milk. This primal act was once thought to stem from a basic fact: milk provides the initial source of calories and nutrients for all mammalian young. But it turns out that milk is a much more complicated biochemical cocktail and provides benefits beyond nutrition. In this fascinating book, biologists Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin reveal this liquid’s evolutionary history and show how its ingredients have changed over many millions of years to become a potent elixir. Power and Schulkin walk readers through the early origins of the mammary gland and describe the incredible diversification of milk among the various mammalian lineages. After revealing the roots of lactation, the authors describe the substances that naturally occur in milk and discuss their biological functions. They reveal that mothers pass along numerous biochemical signals to their babies through milk. The authors explain how milk boosts an infant’s immune system, affects an infant’s metabolism and physiology, and helps inoculate and feed the baby’s gut microbiome. Throughout the book, the authors weave in stories from studies of other species, explaining how comparative research sheds light on human lactation. The authors then turn their attention to the fascinating topic of cross-species milk consumption—something only practiced by certain humans who evolved an ability to retain lactase synthesis into adulthood. The first book to discuss milk from a comparative and evolutionary perspective, Power and Schulkin’s masterpiece reveals the rich biological story of the common thread that connects all mammals.

Michael Akers provides the basics for understanding mammary development and lactation and conveys the critical regulatory events in lactation. This text willl prove to be an invaluable overview of mamorary development and lactation for undergraduates and graduates studying lactation, new researchers, and as a review for established scientists. Additionally, the book will be an important resource for professionals in the animal and dairy industry and for those in other scientific disciplines such as food chemistry, cell biology, and endocrinology whose work is closely tied to mammary gland development and function. Lactation and the Mammary Gland covers growth and development of the mammary gland including comparisons between species. It imparts and emphasizes the critical nature of mammary growth and the onset of lactation at the time of parturition. Special emphasis is given to the endocrine and growth factor regulation of both mammogenesis and lactogenesis. A thorough discussion of the role of growth hormone in development and maintenance of lactation or galactopoiesis adds to this book's value as a text and reference. The author reviews the presence of hormones, growth factors, and other bioactive compounds in milk and mammary secretions as well as the potential for use of the mammary gland as a bioreactor in the pharmaceutical industry. A description of the nutritional and management factors in milk production round out the book's comprehensive coverage.

The Model Chapter on Infant and Young Child Feeding is intended for use in basic training of health professionals. It describes essential knowledge and basic skills that every health professional who works with mothers and young children should master. The Model Chapter can be used by teachers and students as a complement to textbooks or as a concise reference manual.

This lively book examines recent trends in animal product consumption and diet; reviews industry efforts, policies, and programs aimed at improving the nutritional attributes of animal products; and offers suggestions for further research. In addition, the volume reviews dietary and health recommendations from major health organizations and notes specific target levels for nutrients.

Greater knowledge of lactation allows us to alter environmental, nutritional, and milking procedures, or general management to maximize production. This book, focusing on lactation in farm animals (biology, physiological basis, nutritional requirements, and modelization), presents invited papers from internationally recognized scientists. This volume contains seven chapters covering the key topics related to milk production and lactation biology and physiology. The authors show that animals raised on a well-controlled nutrition regimen may have significant enhancement of succeeding lactations. Furthermore, the usefulness of a milk yield prediction system depends upon how accurately it can predict daily milking patterns and its ability to adjust to factors affecting supply. Milk yield prediction models have proven helpful for genetic analysis and for bio-economic modeling. On the whole, this book serves as an inspirational basis for both scientists and farmers.