Abstract

Breast milk is tailored for optimal growth of all infants. However, in some infants, it is associated with a unique phenomenon called breast milk jaundice (BMJ). BMJ is a form of persistent unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia that often presents late in seemingly healthy newborns, and its onset may be associated with breast milk itself. The aim of this review is to systematically assess the evidence for breast milk composition and BMJ development in healthy newborn were searched on key search terms such as neonatal, hyperbilirubinemia, and breastfeeding to 13 February 2023. A total of 678 unique studies were identified, with 12 ultimately included in the systematic review by narrative synthesis.These include studies investigating both the nutritional composition (such as fats and proteins) and bioactive factors (such as enzymes and growth factors) of breast milk and various endogenous components of breast milk collected from formally assessed mothers. Includes studies examining differences in the concentration (or presence) of by BMJ infants and healthy infants were inconsistent and inconclusive for most substances of interest, and only one study was available (total energy and minerals, bile salts and cytokines, etc.). Inconsistent or even contradictory results were obtained when there were two or more studies on a subject (eg lipid and free fatty acid content, epidermal growth factor).The etiology of BMJ is probably multifactorial and no single component of breast milk can explain all her observed BMJ cases. Before advancing this field to uncover the pathogenesis of BMJ, more rigorously designed studies are needed to investigate the complex interplay between maternal physiology, breastfeeding system and infant physiology.