Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), UZ Brussel, KidZ Health Castle, 1090 Brussels, Belgium.
Nutrients. 2023 Apr 18;15(8):1942. doi: 10.3390/nu15081942.
Breastfeeding plays a protective role against infections, partially through the prebiotic effect of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). Aiming to mimic these beneficial capacities, there is an ongoing search to make infant formula closer to human milk, including by adding oligosaccharides. Over the past two decades, multiple studies have been published on different types of prebiotics and their role in reducing infection rates in infants. This review aims to answer the question of whether there is evidence that the addition of oligosaccharides to infant formula decreases the prevalence of infection, and whether the effect is influenced by the kind of oligosaccharide added. The review of the literature reveals an important heterogeneity, including different types and dosages of prebiotics, different intervention periods and inclusion criteria, etc., making it impossible to formulate a consensus about the efficacy of adding prebiotics to infant formula. We would cautiously suggest that supplementation with galactooligosaccharides (GOSs)/fructooligosaccharides (FOSs) seems to have a beneficial effect on infection rates. For HMOs, more studies about the different types of HMOs are necessary to make any deductions. GOSs alone, inulin, and MOSs (bovine-milk-derived oligosaccharides) do not reduce the incidence of infections. The combination of GOSs and PDX (polydextrose) was found to play a protective role in one study. The evidence of the effect of prebiotics in reducing the use of antibiotics is low. The many lacunas in the direction of study uniformity offer many opportunities for further research.
母乳喂养对感染具有保护作用，部分原因是母乳低聚糖（HMOs）的益生元作用。为了模仿这些有益的能力，人们一直在努力使婴儿配方奶粉更接近母乳，包括添加低聚糖。在过去的二十年中，已经发表了多项关于不同类型的益生元和它们在降低婴儿感染率中的作用的研究。本综述旨在回答以下问题：是否有证据表明在婴儿配方奶粉中添加低聚糖可以降低感染的发生率，以及添加的低聚糖种类是否会影响效果。对文献的综述揭示了一个重要的异质性，包括不同类型和剂量的益生元、不同的干预期和纳入标准等，使得无法就添加益生元对婴儿配方奶粉的功效达成共识。我们谨慎地建议，补充半乳糖寡糖（GOSs）/果寡糖（FOSs）似乎对感染率有有益的影响。对于 HMOs，需要更多关于不同类型 HMOs 的研究来做出任何推断。单独的 GOSs、菊粉和 MOSs（牛源低聚糖）不会降低感染的发生率。在一项研究中发现，GOSs 和 PDX（聚右旋糖）的组合具有保护作用。益生元在降低抗生素使用方面的效果的证据不足。研究方向在研究一致性方面的许多空白为进一步研究提供了许多机会。
