Table 2.
Human studies with HMOs and measured outcomes.
| Title of study | Health-related effects | HMO used | Target group | Study setup | Outcome of effect HMO (Short) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fucosyltransferase 2 non-secretor and low secretor status predicts severe outcomes in premature infants. | Mortality, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), sepsis | Breastmilk | Infants (n = 410) | Observational study | Mortality, NEC and gram - sepsis increased in infants receiving low secretoe status breast milk | (66) |
| Human milk oligosaccharides are associated with protection against diarrhea in breast-fed infants. | Diarrhea | Breastmilk | Infants (n = 93) | Observational study | (1) High levels of 2-FL in breastmilk protective against Campylobacter diarrhea (2) High levels of lacto-N-difucohexaose (LDFH-I), also a 2-linked fucosyloligaosaccharide, protective against calicivirus diarrhea | (67) |
| Innate protection conferred by fucosylated oligosaccharides of human milk against diarrhea in breastfed infants | Diarrhea | Breastmilk | Infants (n = 93) | Observational study | Breast milk with higher 2-linked to non-2-linked fucosyloligosaccharide ratios affords greater protection against infant diarrhea | (68) |
| Early consumption of human milk oligosaccharides is inversely related to subsequent risk of respiratory and enteric disease in infants. | Diarrhea and respiratory infection | Breastmilk | Infants (n = 49) | Observational pilot study | LNF-II levels in breast milk and in infant feces at 2 weeks of age (as representative of total HMO) associated with fewer infant respiratory problems and gastropintestinal problems by week 6 and week 12 | (69) |
| FUT2-dependent breast milk oligosaccharides and allergy at 2 and 5 years of age in infants with high hereditary allergy risk | Eczema | Breastmilk | Infants at risk for allergy (n = 266) | Observational study (in placebo arm of controlled study) | At 2 years, but not at 5 years, FUT2-dependent oligosaccharides associated with lower IgE-associated eczema manifestations. Only in C-section-born infants with high allergy risk | (70) |
| Human milk oligosaccharides and development of cow's milk allergy in infants | CMA | Breastmilk | Infants with (n = 35) and children without CMA (n = 39) | Observational study | Infants receiving breast milk with low LNFP III levels more likely to become affected with CMA than infants receiving higher levels of LNFP III | (9) |
| Effects of infant formula with human milk oligosaccharides on growth and morbidity: A randomized multicenter trial | Respiratory infection (bronccitis) and antibiotic use | Formula containing 2′fucosyllactose (2′FL) + lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) | Infants receiving cow's milk-based infant formula (n = 87) vs. the same formula with 2′FL and LNnT (n = 88) | Multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial | Infant formula supplemented with 2′FL and LNnT associated with lower parent-reported morbidity (particularly bronchitis) and medication use (antipyretics and antibiotics) | (71) |
| Infants fed a lower calorie formula with 2′-fucosyllactose (2′FL) Show Growth and 2′FL Uptake Like Breast-Fed Infants | Growth | Formula supplemented with 2-Fucosyllactose (2′FL) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS) | Infants exclusively formula-fed in 3 groups: (1; n = 101 control formula GOS 2; n = 104 formula high GOS and low 2′FL 3; n = 109 medium GOS and medium 2′FL) or breastfed (n = 106) from enrollment to 4 mo of age | A prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter growth and tolerance study | Growth and 2′FL uptake similar to breast milk | (18) |
| Similar to those who are breastfed, infants fed a formula containing 2′-fucosyllactose have lower inflammatory cytokines in a randomized controlled trial | Immune parameters | Formula supplemented with 2-FL and GOS | Infants exclusively formula-fed in 3 groups: (1; n = 75 control formula GOS 2; n = 76 formula high GOS and low 2′FL 3; n = 78 medium GOS and medium 2′FL) or breastfed (n = 86) from enrollment to 4 mo of age | Observational substudy nested within a randomized, double-blind, controlled study | Infants fed formula supplemented with 2′-FL exhibit lower plasma and ex vivo inflammatory cytokine profiles, similar to those of a breastfed reference group | (72) |
| Human milk oligosaccharide concentration and risk of postnatal transmission of HIV through breastfeeding. | HIV transmission | Breastmilk | Breast milk of HIV-infected women who did not transmit HIV despite breastfeeding (n = 86), and uninfected women (n = 36) | Nested case-control study was conducted within a larger cohort study | (1) Higher concentrations of non-3′-SL HMOs were associated with protection against postnatal HIV transmission (2) A trend toward higher concentrations of lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) being associated with reduced transmission | (73) |
| Human milk oligosaccharides differ between hiv-infected and hiv-uninfected mothers and are related to necrotizing enterocolitis incidence in their preterm very-low-birth-weight infants | NEC, HIV infection | Breastmilk (secretor/nonsecretor) | HIV infected mothers (n = 41 of which 22 secretor, 19 non-secretor) and non-infected mothers (n = 41 of which 20 secretor, 21 non-secretor) | Substudy of a larger clinical trial on HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected mothers and their preterm infants | (1) HIV-infected mothers have higher relative abundances of 3′-SL in breastmilk (2) Low concentrations of DSLNT in brestmilk increased infant's risk of NEC | (74) |
| Growth and Morbidity of Gambian Infants are Influenced by Maternal Milk Oligosaccharides and Infant Gut Microbiota. | Morbidity | Breastmilk | Mother/infant pairs (n = 33, of which 21 secretors and 22 non-secretors) | Sub-study embedded within a randomized trial | (1) Higher breast milk levels of lacto-N-fucopentaose I (secretor) associated with decreased infant morbidity (2) Higher breast milk levels of LNT (non-secretor) associated with higher infant morbidity 3) Breast milk levels of 3′-sialyllactose indicator of infant weight-for-age | (5) |
| Oligosaccharide composition of breast milk influences survival of uninfected children born to hiv-infected mothers in Lusaka, Zambia | HIV infection, mortality | Breastmilk | HIV-infected children (n = 103) and HIV exposed uninfected children (n = 143). | Nested case-cohort study | High levels of fucosylated HMOs in breastmilk of mothers of HEU children protective against mortality | (75) |
| The impact of breastfeeding on nasopharyngeal microbial communities in infants. | Respiratory infection | Breastmilk | Infants receiving exclusive breastfeeding (n = 101) vs. and exclusive formula feeding (n = 101) | Case-cohort analysis | (1) Association between breastfeeding and microbial community composition in the upper respiratory tract (2) Possible link to protective effect of breastfeeding on respiratory infections and wheezing in early infancy | (76) |