Carbohydrates in nutrition during early life

Digestible carbohydrates are an important source of energy for babies’ healthy growth and development, contributing between 45% and 65% to their daily calorie intake. However, non-digestible carbohydrates, such as HMOs and dietary fibre, can also provide beneficial effects to the baby. During the first months of life, lactose and HMOs are the typical carbohydrates. Besides being a good source of energy, lactose can have further benefits. The carbohydrate profile of babies’ nutrition becomes more diverse with complementary food, including starch, dietary fibre, and other sugars than lactose to the diet.

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