Although breast milk has allowed all mammals to survive after birth, paradoxically, science has only focused on the content of this elixir in the '70s. Once purified from his structural elements (for example, the different caseins), breast milk is an impressive source of therapeutic biochemical elements. These are contained mainly in what is called "whey". Soluble proteins within this liquid are highly prized because, in their non-denatured state, they contain different medicinal components that induce positive effects on human health. Glutathione is a key mediator of this therapeutic response.
History
Already in 1927, research led at the Rockefeller Institute of Princeton showed the bactericidal effects of the cow's milk newly taken out from the udder (1). Despite this discovery, very few research groups launched into the adventure. So between 1930 and 1970, milk research was predominantly centered for the aims of "marketing". Nevertheless, from the '80s, biochemical studies on milk components and their properties increased progressively. As a matter of a fact, the discovery that colostrum (milk produced in the first 3 - 4 days of lactation) and whey proteins were able to increase the immune response and the ability to fight pathogens (eg. salmonellas and streptococci) in experimental models, was a culminating instant (2-5). Are these results so amazing?
Traditional medicine
By digging the history of traditional medicine, it refers to a famous physician named Hippocrates, who gave to his patients with acute infections, two liters of whey daily, in order to help them heal.
