A national Israeli study of nearly 1.2 million infants shows vegan and vegetarian diets support normal growth through age two, with only minor early differences that fade by 24 months when diets are properly planned and access to nutrition counseling is available.
A compound found in human breast milk called myo-inositol has been found to play a crucial role in the maturation of the newborn brain, according to a study published in PNAS. Researchers analyzed breast milk samples from different locations and found that myo-inositol levels were consistently high during the early stages of infant brain growth. Experiments on human and mouse neurons showed that myo-inositol increased the development of post-synaptic connections in the brain. Feeding newborn mice a myo-inositol supplement also resulted in increased synaptic growth in the visual cortex. The findings suggest that myo-inositol may have a significant impact on brain development in infants.