Human Milk Oligosaccharides and 2’-FL

Human Milk Oligosaccharides

Breast milk contains protective immune factors, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), that help build the infant's developing immune system.^1-3

HMOs are:

Non-digestible carbohydrates⁴.
The third largest solid component of breast milk⁴.

Preclinical research indicates that human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) found in breast milk play complementary roles in supporting the development of the infant’s gut, brain, and immune system^5-11.

The five most abundant HMOs in breast milk^5,12 include:

Fucosylated HMOs

2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL): The most abundant HMO in the milk of most mothers¹³.
3-fucosyllactose (3-FL): A unique HMO present in all mothers’ milk that increases over the course of lactation.

Sialylated HMOs

6′-sialyllactose (6′-SL): The most abundant sialylated HMO and a source of sialic acid.
3′-sialyllactose (3′-SL): A major sialylated HMO and another source of sialic acid.

Acetylated^† HMOs

Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT): The most abundant acetylated HMO.

† Non fucosylated; containing N-acetylglucosamine.

In a clinical study, infants fed Similac 360 Total Care™ with

5 Oligo+ had 5 clinically shown positive outcomes:^*†

Growth: Growth like that of infants fed human milk.¹⁴

Tolerance: Clinically shown to be well-tolerated.^14‡

Microbiome: Clinically shown to support growth of beneficial gut bacteria.^15¶

Health care visits: Based on parent-reported data, infants had fewer non-routine health care visits compared to infants fed a formula without oligosaccharides.^14§

Language and social development: Based on parent-reported data, infants had clinically shown language and social development scores like that of infants fed human milk.¹⁵

* Clinically studied in infants fed Similac 360 Total Care™ with 5 oligosaccharides, formula without oligosaccharides or human milk at or during the first 6 months of age and cognition at 12 months of age.

† Study formula differs slightly from the Canadian formulation; the oligosaccharide content is identical.

‡ Similar to other infant formulas.

§ Health care visits were defined as hospital admissions, emergency department visits, primary care, outpatient clinic visits, urgent care visits, and specialist visits that excluded routine well-baby visits.

¶ Growth of a group of 5 species of infant-specific Bifidobacterium was greater than in infants fed a formula without oligosaccharides.

References:

1. Field CJ. J Nutr. 2005;135(1):1-4.
2. Iyengar SR, et al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2012;55(6):641-647.
3. Gregory KE, et al. Curr Pediatr Rep. 2013;1(4):10.
4. Zivkovic AM, et al. PNAS. 2011;108(Suppl. 1):4653-4658.
5. Hill DR, et al. Nutrients. 2021;13(10):3364.
6. Walsh C, et al. J Funct Foods. 2020;72:104074.
7. Kunz C, et al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2017;64(5):789-798.
8. Bode L. Glycobiology. 2012;22(9):1147-1162.
9. Oliveros E, et al. J Nutr Food Sci. 2021;4(1):100024.
10. Berger PK, et al. PLoS One. 2020;15(2):e0228323.
11. Jorgensen JM, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;113(1):209-220.
12. Soyyılmaz B, et al. Nutrients. 2021;13(8):2737.
13. Castanys-Muñoz E, et al. Nutr Rev. 2013;71(12):773-789.
14. Reverri EJ, et al. JPGN Reports. 2024;5(S2):S468.
15. Abbott Nutrition. Data on file. 2024.

HMOs are:

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