Effects of high protein intakes.

Among other nutrients of breast milk, the amino acid pattern is considered normative throughout infancy. Exclusive breastfeeding by a healthy mother should be the standard from birth to 6 months. During the breastfeeding period the protein intake is low in the human being compared too many other animals. The protein content in breast milk is about 1 g/100 ml and the daily protein intake approximately 1 g/kg/day. When other foods are introduced during the weaning period the protein intake increases remarkably to 3-4 g/kg/day in spite of the fact that the protein requirement is decreasing. The long-term consequences of this phenomenon are obscure. A high protein intake has endocrine effects, such as the high levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1. Furthermore, the metabolic effects with high levels of urea in serum and urine, and the high levels of many amino acids may exceed the capacity of the hepatic and renal systems to metabolize and excrete the excess of nitrogen. This may lead to acidosis and hypernatremic dehydration during periods of fever and diarrhea. Whether the risk of obesity later in life is decreased because of a low intake of protein during the breastfeeding period is still obscure.