Abstract
Human milk is considered the optimal nutrition for infants and found to contain significant numbers of viable bacteria. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of a specific synbiotic combination at doses closer to the bacterial cells present in human milk, on intestinal bifidobacteria proportions (relative abundance), reduction of potential pathogens and gut physiological conditions. A clinical study was conducted in 290 healthy infants aged from 6 to 19 weeks. Infants received either a control infant formula or one of the two investigational infant formulas (control formula with 0.8 g/100 ml scGOS/lcFOS and Bifidobacterium breve M-16V at either 1 × 104 cfu/ml or 1 × 106 cfu/ml). Exclusively breastfed infants were included as a reference. Analyses were performed on intention-to-treat groups and all-subjects-treated groups. After 6 weeks of intervention, the synbiotics at two different doses significantly increased the bifidobacteria proportions in healthy infants. The synbiotic supplementation also decreased the prevalence (infants with detectable levels) and the abundance of C. difficile. Closer to the levels in the breastfed reference group, fecal pH was significantly lower while l-lactate concentrations and acetate proportions were significantly higher in the synbiotic groups. All formulas were well tolerated and all groups showed a comparable safety profile based on the number and severity of adverse events and growth. In healthy infants, supplementation of infant-type bifidobacterial strain B. breve M-16V, at a dose close to bacterial numbers found in human milk, with scGOS/lcFOS (9:1) created a gut environment closer to the breastfed reference group. This specific synbiotic mixture may also support gut microbiota resilience during early life.Clinical Trial Registration This clinical study named Color Synbiotics Study, was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov on 18 March 2013. Registration number is NCT01813175. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01813175.
Highlights
Abbreviations enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) Human milk oligosaccharides scGOS/lcFOS Short-chain galacto-oligosaccharides and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides CFU Colony forming unit Syn[4] Control formula supplemented with 0.8 g/100 ml scGOS/lcFOS and B. breve M-16V at a dose of 1 × 104 cfu/ml Syn[6] Control formula supplemented with 0.8 g/100 ml scGOS/lcFOS and B. breve M-16V at a dose of 1 × 106 cfu/ml FISH Fluorescent in situ hybridization SCFA Short chain fatty acid Intention to treat (ITT) Intention-to-treat All subjects treated (AST) All-subjects-treated
Human milk is estimated to contain about 1 03–105 bacterial cells/ml based on flow cytometry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) methods[12,14,15,16,17,18]
Subjects with increasing proportions of bifidobacteria showed a decrease in proportion of Eubacterium rectale–Clostridium coccoides after 6 weeks of intervention (Figs. 3C and 6B)
Summary
Abbreviations EPEC Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli EAEC Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli HMOs Human milk oligosaccharides scGOS/lcFOS Short-chain galacto-oligosaccharides and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides CFU Colony forming unit Syn[4] Control formula supplemented with 0.8 g/100 ml scGOS/lcFOS and B. breve M-16V at a dose of 1 × 104 cfu/ml Syn[6] Control formula supplemented with 0.8 g/100 ml scGOS/lcFOS and B. breve M-16V at a dose of 1 × 106 cfu/ml FISH Fluorescent in situ hybridization SCFA Short chain fatty acid ITT Intention-to-treat AST All-subjects-treated. Given the major role of infant-type bifidobacteria in structuring the gut microbiome in early life, it is important to support the colonization by relevant Bifidobacterium species[6]. Opportunistic pathogens such as Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) are often found in infants’ guts. Human milk is considered the optimal nutrition for infants and contains a significant number of viable bacteria, which are an important source for vertical microbial transmission from mother to infant[11,12,13] If this colonization route is disrupted, early life microbiota development may be impaired. Non-infant-type bifidobacteria such as B. animalis subsp. lactis, isolated from diverse mammalian hosts, and B. adolescentis, normally found in the adult human gut, are genetically less equipped to metabolize H MOs22
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
