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Updated: May 21, 2026

Individualized Reconstitution of Human Milk Microbiota: A Feasible Approach in Real-World Settings
Published on: February 7, 2025
Human milk oligosaccharide consumption by intestinal microbiota
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. marcobal@stanford.edu
Abstract:
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) constitute the third most abundant class of molecules in breast milk. Since infants lack the enzymes required for milk glycan digestion, this group of carbohydrates passes undigested to the lower part of the intestinal tract, where they can be consumed by specific members of the infant gut microbiota. We review proposed mechanisms for the depletion and metabolism of HMO by two major bacterial genera within the infant intestinal microbiota, Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides.
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