DOI: 10.26650/jchild.2026.1815890 ISSN: 1308-8491

Breast Milk and Neurodevelopment: Nutritional and Bioactive Components

Ayşenur Zorteymur, Nalan Karabayır
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This narrative review explores the association between breast milk and infant neurodevelopment, with a particular focus on the potential contribution of its nutritional and bioactive components. An initial literature search was conducted in October 2023 and was subsequently updated during manuscript preparation to include relevant studies published up to December 2025. The first 1000 days of life represent a critical window for brain development, during which environmental factors and nutrition play a fundamental role. Breast milk is a complex biological fluid tailored to infant needs and may influence neurodevelopment through multiple pathways. While macronutrients provide essential energy and structural substrates, micronutrients and bioactive components, including growth factors, microbiota, stem cells, microRNAs (miRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), may also contribute to neurodevelopmental processes. Current evidence suggests that breast milk may support neurodevelopment through diverse mechanisms; however, the strength of evidence varies, and many proposed pathways are supported mainly by observational or preclinical data. Further research is needed to clarify the most relevant components and their long-term developmental significance.

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