Babies survive the period immediately after birth by feeding on the content of their own cells, research suggests.
Right after birth babies face sudden and severe starvation as they have lost their nutrient supply from the placenta, but have yet to drink milk.
It appears they bridge the gap by breaking down cells, and releasing essential nutrients.
The study, by Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, is published in Nature.
Existing on internal proteins in this way would only be possible for a limited period.
Dr Wolf Reik
The Tokyo team studied newborn mice. They found that a cellular process called autophagy ramps up immediately after birth and remains high for several hours.
During autophagy, a cell breaks down its own components in small digestive sacs called autophagosomes.
BBC NEWS
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