Abstract
Glycans are present exogenously in the diet, expressed and secreted endogenously by host cells, and produced by microbes. All of these processes result in them being available to the gut microbiome, firmly placing glycans at the interface of diet–microbe–host interactions. The most dramatic shift in dietary sources of glycans occurs during the transition from the milk-based neonatal diet to the diverse omnivorous adult diet, and this has profound effects on the composition of the gut microbiome, gene expression by microbes and host cells, mucin composition, and immune development from innate towards adaptive responses. Understanding the glycan-mediated interactions occurring during this transitional window may inform dietary recommendations to support gut and immune development during a vulnerable age. This review aims to summarise the current state of knowledge on dietary glycan mediated changes that may occur in the infant gut microbiome and immune system during weaning.
Highlights
During weaning, infants’ primary source of dietary carbohydrates transitions from mammalian milk-derived oligosaccharides and glycoproteins in breast-milk and/or animal-milk derived formula, to plant-derived polysaccharides in complementary foods
This review aims to summarise how microbial community structure, gene expression by microbes and host cells, mucosa, and immune development in infants may be altered during dietary transition from milk to a combination of plant and animal glycans
Some microbial glycans seem to be conserved throughout closely related genetic lineages, while others are present on extremely distant relatives, which may in part be due to lateral gene transfer between microbial species [2]
Summary
Infants’ primary source of dietary carbohydrates (glycans) transitions from mammalian milk-derived oligosaccharides and glycoproteins in breast-milk and/or animal-milk derived formula, to plant-derived polysaccharides in complementary foods. These glycans escape digestion in the small intestine of infants, becoming available as an energy source for the unstable and evolving gut microbiota, and this can influence gut and immune system development. This review aims to summarise how microbial community structure, gene expression by microbes and host cells, mucosa, and immune development in infants may be altered during dietary transition from milk to a combination of plant and animal glycans
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