Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Infant Neurodevelopment: A Narrative Review

The objective of this narrative review was to synthesize the literature on human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and neurodevelopmental outcomes in human milk-fed infants. We conducted a scoping review of the literature indexed in PubMed reporting observational or interventional studies on HMO exposure...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrients 2023-01, Vol.15 (3), p.719
Main Authors: Berger, Paige K, Ong, Margaret L, Bode, Lars, Belfort, Mandy B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Breast Feeding
Breast milk
breastfeeding
Breastfeeding & lactation
Cognitive development
Development
Developmental neurology
Domains
Exposure
Female
Health aspects
human milk
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Infants
Inflammation
Influence
Intelligence tests
Lactose
Language
Literature reviews
Milk
Milk, Human
Motor skill
Motor Skills
Neurodevelopment
Newborn babies
Nutritional aspects
Oligosaccharides
Pediatric research
Premature babies
Quantitative psychology
Review
Skill development
Statistical analysis
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Summary:The objective of this narrative review was to synthesize the literature on human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and neurodevelopmental outcomes in human milk-fed infants. We conducted a scoping review of the literature indexed in PubMed reporting observational or interventional studies on HMO exposure in relation to psychometric measures in infants. Studies were characterized based on study design and definitions of HMO exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Six studies were identified; all were observational in design, and five were conducted in full-term infants. Sample sizes ranged from 35-659 infants. HMOs were defined as individual concentrations or relative abundances assessed at 1 and/or 6 months of age. Studies accounted for differences in HMO exposure based on maternal secretor status. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed between 6 and 24 months of age and included four domains. Studies in full-term infants reported that total and individual fucosylated and sialylated HMOs were positively associated with cognitive, language, and motor skill domains between 18 and 24 months of age, while the single study in preterm infants reported no statistically significant findings in the full cohort. The presence of a maternal secretor did not consistently alter the associations between HMO exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Emerging evidence from observational studies suggests that HMO exposure may be beneficial for neurodevelopment in infants.
ISSN:2072-6643
2072-6643
DOI:10.3390/nu15030719