HMO's - Unique Composition and Metabolism in Infants

Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO’s) represent one of the hottest topics in infant nutrition right now – it is a complex and exciting field.  In this presentation, Clemens Kunz presents the unique features of HMO’s and asks if they have prebiotic effects.  He covers the functions of HMO’s and examines their contribution to outcomes on health and disease prevention in infants by looking at the latest research in the field. 

Detailed research into HMO’s has only been possible in the last few years due to scientific breakthroughs leading to the large-scale production of HMO’s for clinical study.   HMO’s have unique components and should not be compared to other prebiotics.  Their structural variety predisposes them to specific functions with multifunctional effects which need to be investigated: there could be influences on gastrointestinal health, inflammation and infection, as well as on the immune system.