Are human milk oligosaccharides the key to infant health? This comprehensive review explores a century of research on HMOs, highlighting their potential as growth factors for beneficial bacteria and their role in preventing pathogen attachment. From their structural complexities to their metabolic fates, this review synthesizes what we know and emphasizes what we still need to discover about these fascinating compounds. The research presented explores the structures and functions of HMOs, noting the intriguing similarities between these oligosaccharides and epithelial cell surface carbohydrates. This similarity hints at specific interactions with pathogenic microorganisms, potentially preventing their attachment to epithelial cells and boosting infant resistance to infections. The review addresses metabolic processing in intestinal epithelial cells to help better understand nutritional science. To expand our knowledge of oligosaccharides, the study notes the need for more research into the metabolism of HMOs in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the extent of oligosaccharide processing in intestinal epithelial cells. Further research in HMOs is certainly needed to increase our knowledge of infant nutrition as it is affected by complex oligosaccharides.
Published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, a journal covering the latest advances in nutritional science, this review aligns perfectly with the journal's focus. The paper's in-depth exploration of human milk oligosaccharides and their impact on infant health directly addresses key aspects of infant nutrition, a core theme of the journal. Additionally, it highlights the need for further research in this area, emphasizing its significance for future studies in the field.
| Category | Category Repetition |
|---|---|
| Technology: Home economics: Nutrition. Foods and food supply | 226 |
| Agriculture: Agriculture (General) | 202 |
| Agriculture | 201 |
| Science: Biology (General) | 162 |
| Science: Chemistry: Organic chemistry: Biochemistry | 162 |