Understanding Milk Components and Their Impact on Digestion and Health

Milk component digestion and human health are closely intertwined, as the ability to digest the various components of milk plays a vital role in overall well-being and development across all stages of life. Milk, whether human milk or from other species, contains a complex mixture of nutrients, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. These components, when properly digested, contribute to essential physiological processes such as growth, immune function, and metabolic regulation. Infants, children, and adults have digestive enzymes that are responsible for breaking down these nutrients into smaller molecules. Proper digestion of these components is essential for supporting health across different life stages. For example, some peptides and proteins left intact may have beneficial bioactivity for human health. However, incompletely broken-down proteins can elicit an immune response, and, therefore, have detrimental effects. The mechanisms underlying these effects and the specific functions and health benefits of bioactive molecules released during digestion are subjects of continued study.

This Research Topic aims to address the need for a comprehensive understanding of milk component digestion and its health benefits not only in infancy, but also on child and adult health. To gather further insights into the boundaries of milk component digestion and its impact on health, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Milk component bioavailability and absorption in humans across various age groups.
- Influence of food matrix, processing, and microbiota in milk component digestion and absorption in different populations.
- Impact of milk protein digestion on gut health development.
- Effects of milk extracellular vesicle digestion on overall human health.
- Enzyme effects on lipid and protein absorption and health outcomes.
- Improved dietary guidelines to ensure all populations receive optimal nutrition benefits from milk consumption.
- Mechanisms of milk protein digestion, including molecular processes of milk digestion in the gastrointestinal tract and specific chemical structure changes of milk components during digestion.
- Health benefits/side effects of digestion-released milk components across different ages.

Authors should aim to explore and contribute to the growing body of knowledge surrounding milk component digestion, bioavailability, digestion mechanisms, and their impact on human health throughout the lifespan.

Dr. Tim Lambers is employed by FrieslandCampina. The other Topic Editors declare no other competing interests with relation to this topic theme.