Breast Milk Sugars Support Infant Gut Health

Oligosaccharides found in breast milk stimulate the activity of gut bacteria, promoting growth in two animal models of infant malnutrition.

Humanised ex-germfree mice were colonised by up to 19 bacterial species isolated from malnourished Malawian babies. The mice were fed a typical Malawian diet which in some cases was supplemented with sialylated oligosaccharides obtained from cow milk or oligosaccharides obtained from inulin (sometimes ingredients of infant formulas). Germ free mice receiving the diet with sialylated oligosaccharides developed less well than mice with a microbiota and that had been fed the sialylated oligosaccharides. Malnourished mothers were found to have lesser amounts of human milk oligosaccharides, so it was proposed by the authors that supplementation of the infant’s diet with appropriate oligosaccharides could counter developmental problems in malnourished children.

Read a summary of the study here.

Similar research in human babies in Dunedin is being carried out by Professor Gerald Tannock, who was recently awarded $1,000,000 in funding over two years by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for his research on Functional Formula.

The bowels of infants are inhabited by a collection of bacteria (the microbiota) in which anaerobic bacteria called bifidobacteria are the predominant organisms. Bifidobacteria are about 20% more abundant in the bowel of breast-fed babies compared to those fed cow’s milk formula. This is because breast milk contains special carbohydrates called Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) that are unused by the baby but act as fertilisers for bifidobacterial growth. There is no doubt that breast milk is the best food for babies but, for various reasons, many infants are fed formula prior to weaning. An improved ‘functional formula’ could benefit these babies by mimicking the ecology of the breast milk-fed infant bowel and boosting bifidobacterial abundance. Making use of our knowledge of bowel ecology, we proposed that oligosaccharides extracted from NZ resources and modified chemically so that they resemble HMO would be selected for use in the New Zealand production of infant formula from cow’s milk. During our translational research conducted with Dr Ian Sims (Ferrier Institute, Victoria University, Wellington) and funded by MBIE Smart Ideas Phase 1, we found an oligosaccharide with the required properties. In Phase 2, a major focus will be on scaled-up manufacture of the oligosaccharide that we identified in Phase 1, and further validation of the effects that we have seen in the previous laboratory studies. An independent consultant will carry out a cost-benefit analysis of scaled-up manufacture in relation to commercial prospects.