Breast milk protein osteopontin: Breastfeeding reduces the risk of severe lower respiratory infections (sLRIs), a leading cause of infant mortality https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-breast-protein-osteopontin-shield-infants.html Milk osteopontin alters the infant microbiome to drive DC hematopoiesis and disease tolerance https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00820-2 "Because osteopontin increased immune regulatory pathways, Phipps said it may also help prevent the onset of allergic diseases such as eczema and asthma, although this remains to be formally tested"