Abstract:

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are unique and abundant complex carbohydrates in breast milk. As the third most abundant component in breast milk, they have gradually received attention from scholars both domestically and internationally. With the rapid development of analytical techniques and multiomics, the research field of HMOs has made great progress and made great breakthroughs in the past few years. However, we are still in the initial stage of revealing the role and mechanisms of HMOs. However, the conclusions are mainly from foreign clinical studies, and need to be further verified by high-quality randomized clinical trials. In addition, we need to consider its effectiveness in different diseases, environment, and populations. Here, we summarize the roles of HMOs in regulating gut microbiome development, intestinal health, immune system development, and brain development in infants. Additionally, we explore the potential future applications of HMOs in infants in China.

Key words: human milk oligosaccharides, intestinal health, immune system development