In plain words
Human milk oligosaccharides, or HMOs, are sugars in breast milk that the baby cannot break down. They reach the colon and feed certain helpful bacteria, such as bifidobacteria. They also resemble sugars on the gut lining, so some germs may attach to the milk sugars instead. Around 200 kinds have been identified, and the amounts vary from mother to mother and over the course of lactation. Some formula makers have added HMO-like ingredients, and their marketing often cites this research. What HMOs do in a healthy baby is still being studied. Some mothers make fewer of certain HMOs because of genetics, and their babies still grow and thrive. HMOs are not a supplement that a mother takes.
The deeper version
HMOs are unconjugated glycans, typically three to fifteen monosaccharide units built on a lactose core, with fucosylated and sialylated forms. Over 200 structures have been characterized. Their composition depends largely on maternal secretor and Lewis status, set by the FUT2 and FUT3 fucosyltransferase genes. They act as prebiotics for Bifidobacterium infantis and as soluble decoy receptors that inhibit pathogen adhesion. Bode (2012, Glycobiology) reviewed evidence that HMOs shape gut microbiota, immune development, and brain development, largely from animal and cell studies. Trials of HMO-added formula show shifts in stool microbiota toward breastfed patterns. Clinical outcome trials are few and small, and benefits beyond the gut microbiome are not established.
Where it comes up
- Gut health before and during pregnancyBefore Pregnancy
- Donor milkFeeding Your Baby
- How breastfeeding works: supply and demandFeeding Your Baby
What mothers here say about human milk oligosaccharide
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Sources
- Bode L — Human milk oligosaccharides, review article. Glycobiology, 2012