The sky is the limit.

(Picture: Peter Paul Rubens: The Fall of Icarus)

During many millennia man thrived on breastfeeding. this built-in nutrition for the young human proved t be so successful that humans could become the dominant species of the earth. A powerful position for this species with little superpowers: not exceptionally strong or fast, not equipped with outstanding senses for smell, eyesight or hearing, no natural defense against any attacker above the size of bacteria. But we’ve got the brains. But power corrupts and makes arrogant. The combination of corrupting power and the high intellect made man to thinking he could improve nature (or Creation for who prefers that). What man can reach … the sky is the limit as Ikaros found out when the sun melted the wax in his bird-feather wings. The urge to improve human possibilities did not die with Ikaros’ fall, till today (and probably long after) scientists keep up the good work. Human milk is one of the items to be challenged: it can’t be so good it has no flaws. Take vitamin D. If the studies are to be taken serious, all children who are not supplemented, fully breastfed will continue their lives crouched and crippled and suffering from all kinds of insufficiency ailments. How for all that’s good did we managed all those ages before some smart manufacturers provided us with bottled D to buy? Of course a mother’s milk has everything in it a child needs for healthy grow and to develop well. No one ever doubts that in any other mammal. But there are some prerequisites: mom must provide sufficient vitamin D (through food and sunlight or supplements if those are not possible) during and preferably before pregnancy, to ensure sufficient D in the growing fetus and to make sure her milk will contain enough of it, the healthy term infant must breastfeed well in order to receive all vitamin D available end his/her skin must have daily sun exposure. But then, of course, it is much easier and sounds very much more scientific to just advise every breastfed infant to be supplemented with a daily dosis bottled D.
F Savino, S Viola, V Tarasco, M M Lupica, E Castagno, R Oggero and R Miniero: Bone mineral status in breast-fed infants: influence of vitamin D supplementation. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 65, 335-339 (March 2011) (+ Comment: Nirmal S Panesar: Is it a case of too much vitamin D3?)