An Introduction to the Basic science and Complexity of Human Milk Oligosaccharides

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), a group of complex sugar molecules, are the third most abundant component of human milk that highly vary in composition between mothers. In his presentation, Prof. Lars Bode explais the postulated effects of HMOs,  including prebiotic and antiadhesive/antimicrobial effects, modulation of intestinal epithelial cells, and immune modulation. Some of these effects are highly structure-specific and dose-dependent, suggesting that HMOs interact with specific host and/or microbial receptors. Specific HMOs are required to exert these effects while other, structurally distinct HMOs cannot mimic these effects.