title: Human milk oligosaccharides: prebiotics and beyond.
abstract: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) are complex glycans that are present at very high concentrations in human milk but not in infant formula. The significant energy expended by mothers to make these complex glycans suggests they must be important. How do maternal HMOs benefit the breast-fed infant? How are HMOs synthesized in the human mammary gland? How can we provide formula-fed infants with HMOs or HMO-like glycans? This article reviews current knowledge and open questions on the biosynthesis and functions of HMOs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA. lbode@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bode
mesh_terms: D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula / Q000737:chemistry; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D056692:Prebiotics
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics