Milk Microbes
by Dick Crill P.hD
New born mammals start their life being nourished by milk. Toward the end of their nursing period they begin consuming food that their parents eat. In the case of humans, these foods are primarily grains and fruits. It is suggested here that food fiber in many mammals becomes the carrier for microbes.
During the nursing period there are milk microbes that become established as part of the microflora of the infant's digestive system, mucous membranes, and skin. Milk is made up of proteins, minerals, fats, and carbohydrates. The combination of milk microbes bring about the utilization of each separate milk component. There are microbes primarily for butterfat, and others for casein and whey proteins, and for the lactose and for other carbohydrates. All microbes utilize minerals.
As a baby's food supply shifts from milk to fruits and grains, the naturally occurring yeast microbes are added. The microbes continually adjust to the available sources of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Mammalian nutrition is a complex chain of events that includes the kind and the amount of food that is eaten, the microbial population that each mammal harbors, and the type of digestive system unique to each mammal. All mammals begin their life consuming milk.
Humans have extended their milk utilization by taking milk from other mammals. Humans have used milk from goats, sheep, cattle, horses, camels, llamas, and other mammals for thousands of years. Infant and childhood nutrition in humans has expanded far beyond the nursing stage to include milk of other mammals. In many cases milk is consumed throughout the entire lifetime of some cultures.
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It would seem that milk has a greater significance for humans that perhaps any other mammalian species. This would suggest that milk microbes have a greater significance in human nutrition than in other mammals. The milk microbes are essential for new born mammals, but they may also be essential for the entire lifetime of humans.