Understanding the role of milk in regulating human homeostasis in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic

Ren, Guangxu; Cheng, Guangyan; Wang, Jiaqi

Although data from clinical observation have directly shown that children aged 0–14 years are less susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection than those 15–64 years old, due to a lack of biological evidence of differences in cell entry receptors between age groups, it remains debatable whether children are actually less susceptible than adults. To date, studies on COVID-19 have consistently shown that pediatric patients generally have relatively milder cytokine release syndrome and lower mortality rates than adults. Interestingly, similar phenomena of relatively mild symptoms in children have been observed in previous outbreaks of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. In fact, in the early stage of life, there are many mechanisms that spontaneously regulate excessive inflammatory responses. Milk, as the main food of infants, not only provides necessary energy and nutrients but also plays an important role in regulating homeostasis related to the immune system, gut microecology and nutrition balance. This review discusses some roles of milk in regulating human homeostasis, especially in the disease state. These clues provide new insight and references for personal care at home and/or in the hospital during the global COVID-19 pandemic.