The clinical application of donated human milk and the establishment of human milk banks
10.3760/cma.j.cn115822-20240406-00061
- VernacularTitle:捐赠母乳的临床应用及人乳库发展
- Author:
Jinyu LI
1
;
Zhenghong LI
Author Information
1. 中国医学科学院北京协和医学院 北京协和医院儿科，北京 100730
- Keywords:
Human milk;
Breastfeeding;
Donated human milk;
Human milk bank
- From:
Chinese Journal of Clinical Nutrition
2024;32(3):180-185
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The first 1 000 days of life is a crucial stage for the physical and intellectual development of infants and a critical window for preventing chronic diseases in adulthood. The nutrition support during this period is of vital importance for the growth and lifelong health of infants. Breast milk has unique nutritional and immune activity and is the most ideal food source for infants during this period. Short- and long-term health benefits associated with breast-feeding have been widely reported. Donated human milk represents the first and best choice for providing nutrients to newborns who cannot obtain sufficient human milk from their biological mothers. Donated human milk can decrease the morbidity and mortality of neonatal diseases, thus reducing the medical costs of the neonatal intensive care. Human milk banks are professional public institutions that deals with donated human milk. With the development of human milk banks worldwide, the construction of China's human milk banks has also seen rapid progress. China has already issued the official policies and standards for the operation and management of human milk banks by 2021. There are also published data available regarding the unit costs and cost analyses of operating human milk banks. Human milk banks have played an important role in ensuring, regulating, and promoting the clinical application of donated human milk. Inadequate resource of financial funding, the instability of donors and insufficient donated human milk are the major challenges domestic human milk banks are facing with and requiring urgent resolutions. It is imperative to further dive into the value of donated human milk, optimize the operation of the human milk banks, develop new methods and means of milk sterilization and expand the funding sources, for the purpose of providing more evidence to steer the development of donated human milk and human milk banks.
