Abstract
ABSTRACTBreast milk is the gold standard of infant nutrition, delivering nutrients and bioactive molecules as needed to support optimal infant growth and neurodevelopment. Increasing evidence links the human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) to these early childhood development milestones. In this PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis, we summarised evidence on HMOs and infant brain development, physical growth, and cognitive development. In addition, we compared HMO concentrations between secretor and non-secretor mothers. Searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science yielded 245 articles, 27 of which were included in the systematic review and 12 in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed a substantial between-study heterogeneity, I2= 97.3%. The pooled effect was 0.21 (95% CI, −0.41 - 0.83), p = 0.484, indicating that secretors had higher HMO concentrations, though this difference was not statistically significant. At one month of age, 2’FL, 3FL, and 3’SL play an important role in brain maturation and thus play a critical role in cognitive development. Secretors secrete higher concentrations of 2’FL and 3’SL, explaining the benefits to infants of secretor mothers. Growth velocity was correlated to fucosylated and sialylated HMO concentrations, with lower concentrations linked to stunting. In conclusion, evidence from the systematically reviewed articles indicates that HMOs are important for a child’s early development, but the extent to which they have an impact is dependent on maternal secretor status.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory