We are incredibly proud to see the results of yet another of our infant formula microbiome collaborations with Nestlé published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
The study investigated the effects of an infant formula containing a specific blend of five HMOs (2′-FL, DFL, LNT, 3′-SL, and 6′-SL) by analyzing the gut microbiota of more than 500 healthy infants receiving either a standard infant formula (control), the same formula with 1.5 g/L or 2.5 g/L HMOs (test groups), or being breastfed.
The results show that consumption of the HMO-supplemented formulas in the first 6 months of life shifts the microbiota composition closer to that of breastfed infants. This includes a bifidogenic effect and a reduction in toxigenic C. difficile, expected to decrease the risk of diarrheal illness. We found higher abundances of Bifidobacterium longum subsp., infantis (B. infantis), in the test groups compared to control, indicating that B. infantis gains a competitive advantage in the presence of the five HMOs. In the publication, we hypothesize that the shift in the gut microbiota can be linked to effects seen on the intestinal immune response and that HMOs can help correct some of the potential underlying dysbiosis in formula-fed cesarean-delivered infants.
Breastfeeding remains the recommended source of nutrition for infants.
Read the full publication.
Congratulations to both our great collaborators at Nestlé, Colin Cercamondi, Dominik Grathwohl, Bernard Berger, and Norbert Sprenger, and our colleagues, Helle Krogh Pedersen, Oksana Lukjancenko and Aron Eklund for the joint effort!