We all know breast-feeding builds up babies' immune systems. But this naturalform of nourishment may benefit moms as well. It seems mother's milk contains a substance similar to the one found in the class of antianxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines. While nobody's sure what the still-unnamed chemical is doing there, Harvard biologist David Haig, Ph.D., has an intriguing hypothesis. He suggests its role is similar to that of the most well-known benzodiazepine: Valium.

Evolutionists like Haig suspect that this natural sedative may be Mother Nature's way of countering infants' crying spells. Since soothing a wailing baby places physical; psychological; and emotional demands on room, tuckering out junior is one way to make motherhood a little easier. Ultimately, it's impossible to prove that evolution equipped moms with this compound in order to sedate their infants. But breast-fed babies do cry less than their bottle-fed buddies.

Edited by Peter Doskoch

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