Instant Insights: Nutritional Benefits of Milk

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on the nutritional benefits of milk.The first chapter highlights the important role of milk and dairy products in human diets due to the amount of energy (calories) they provide and their ability to compensate for foods in the diet with lesser nutritional value. The chapter also reviews the dairy matrix concept and how this matrix can influence human physiology.The second chapter provides an overview of major and minor milk proteins, including caseins, whey proteins and indigenous milk enzymes. The chapter discusses a selection of milk protein products which are produced on an industrial scale to support human health and growth, such as the use of whey protein in infant formula and dietary supplements. The third chapter reviews current knowledge on bioactive components existing in cow’s milk and colostrum, their biological and nutritional functionalities, as well as how these components can be exploited for the benefit of human health and physiological metabolism function.The final chapter provides an overview of the nutritional properties of dairy carbohydrates and major glycoproteins in cow’s milk. The chapter considers the contribution of lactose as a substrate for beneficial colonic fermentation to short-chain fatty acids, as well as the importance of glycoproteins in infant diets.