Lactation in Primates
Understanding the Physiology of Lactation from an Evolutionary Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6014693 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michelle Pascale Hassler (0009-0005-4749-7960, Aix-Marseille Université), Alexandre Fabre (0000-0001-5245-7772, Aix-Marseille Université), Valérie Moulin (0000-0003-3849-8943, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Lucie Faccin (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Julie Gullstrand (0000-0002-9408-5847, Aix-Marseille Université), Alexia Cermolacce (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Pierre Frémondière (0000-0003-2800-4217, Aix-Marseille Université) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 298-309 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Humans (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2673-9461 • E-ISSN: 2673-9461 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/humans4040019 |
| OpenAlex | W4402899014 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 66 |
Lactation in humans is complex. Understanding the cultural and biological patterns of human breastfeeding requires a global evolutionary analysis that includes observations of other primates. Human breastfeeding may have several specificities, but some features could be shared with other non-human primates. The purpose of this work is to determine what makes human breastfeeding unique from an evolutionary perspective. We consider behavioral as well as biological variables. Human and non-human primates share behavioral characteristics, such as the need to learn breastfeeding skills, and they display an adaptation of the energy density of the milk according to the type of mothering. However, despite having slow-growing, secondarily altricial offspring and rather diluted milk, modern humans spend less time breastfeeding than the great apes, and consequently have shorter interbirth intervals. Milk composition in macro- and micro-constituents changes during lactation, demonstrating evolutionary and ecological adaptation. Among the great apes, the milk of modern humans contains a higher proportion of fats, an equivalent proportion of carbohydrates and proteins, and a greater variety of oligosaccharides involved in brain and immune system development. The microbiome of modern man is less diverse than those of non-human primates, but the presence of HMOs and immunoglobulin A suggests that human milk is particularly adapted to prevent neonatal infections
Biology · Lactation · Perspective (graphical · Pregnancy · Animal Genetics and Reproduction · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Computer Science · Infant Nutrition and Health · Artificial Intelligence · Genetics · Physiology
The Neolithic Demographic Transition and its Consequences
Tools and Human Evolution
Complementary Feeding
Positional behaviour of olive baboons (Papio anubis) and its relationship to maintenance and social activities
Milk composition reflects pattern of material care in prosimian primates
Comparative and evolutionary dimensions of the energetics of human pregnancy and lactation
Energetics and reproductive effort
Pelvic and neonatal size correlations in light of evolutionary hypotheses
Diversity and temporal dynamics of primate milk microbiomes
Lactational programming? mother's milk energy predicts infant behavior and temperament in rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Immunoglobulin A and nutrients in milk from great apes throughout lactation
The evolution of the patterning of human lactation
Primate milk
The evolution of human reproduction
Interbirth intervals in wild baboons
Rhesus macaque milk
Dominance and reproductive rates in captive female olive baboons,Papio anubis
Brain size at birth throughout human evolution
Evolutionary modifications of human milk composition
Evolutionary Perspective on Human Growth
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |