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Do Human Milk Oligosaccharides Protect Against Infant Atopic Disorders and Food Allergy?

Soo Min Han1, Aristea Binia2, Keith M Godfrey3,4

  • 1Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.

Nutrients
|October 24, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) may protect infants from atopic disorders (AD) and food allergies (FA) by supporting the immune system. More research is needed to understand HMO composition

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Atopic disorders (AD) and food allergies (FA) often begin in infancy, with potential lifelong health impacts.
  • Breastfeeding is hypothesized to protect against AD and FA, but evidence and mechanisms remain debated.
  • Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are key components of breast milk, influencing infant immune development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current understanding of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in preventing atopic disorders (AD) and food allergies (FA) in infants.
  • To highlight the proposed mechanisms by which HMOs may exert protective effects.
  • To identify gaps in current research and suggest future directions for investigating HMOs' role.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of observational studies and existing evidence on breastfeeding, HMOs, AD, and FA.
  • Analysis of proposed mechanisms of HMO action: microbiome modulation, pathogen inhibition, and immune system modulation.
  • Discussion of limitations in current research, including analytical methods for HMOs and study design challenges.

Main Results:

  • Differences in infant gut microbiome composition are observed between allergic and healthy infants, irrespective of breastfeeding.
  • Existing evidence for breastfeeding's protective effect against FA, eczema, and asthma is inconsistent regarding duration, diagnostic criteria, and assessment age.
  • Current analytical techniques detect only a fraction of identified HMOs, limiting comprehensive analysis.

Conclusions:

  • HMOs are implicated in infant immune system development, potentially influencing AD and FA risk.
  • Further large-scale, longitudinal studies are necessary to elucidate the specific role of HMO composition and its changes during lactation.
  • Understanding HMOs' impact is crucial for developing targeted preventive strategies for infant allergies.

Keywords:
atopic disordersbreastfeedingfood allergyhuman milk oligosaccharides

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