Breast milk from Chinese mothers contains more protein than that of Japanese and American mothers, but could do with more fat, a study has shown.

Ahead of World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 August) this year, Shanghai Children's Medical Center unveils the complete nutrient content of Chinese mothers' breast milk.

The 20-year research studied thousands of samples from mothers in various parts of China, including Shanghai, Chongqing, Jilin and Zhejiang provinces.It is the first study of the complete nutrient content of Chinese mothers' breast milk.

It calculated the levels of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, organic acids, trace minerals, vitamins and immunity-related functional molecules in the milk.

The study found an average of 1.74 grams of protein in every 100g of Chinese mothers' milk, compared with 1.19g and 0.99g in Japanese and American mothers' milk, respectively.