Abstract
Human milk (HM) contains large amounts of free oligosaccharides (OSs), which play an important role in the immune response of breast‐fed infants against pathogens. One of the most prevalent OS in HM is sialyllactose (SL). 6′‐sialyllactose (6′SL) and 3′‐sialyllactose (3′SL) are the two most abundant isomers. To survey the concentrations of SL and evaluate the relationship between this important OS in mature HM (lactation duration ≥ 30 days) and stage of lactation, 236 samples from individual mothers were collected from nine different countries on five continents. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of 6′SL concentration was 147 ± 122 mg/L for all samples and the means ranged from 83 to 267 mg/L among countries, with Chile and Mexico significantly higher than other countries. An inverse relationship between 6′SL concentration and the days of lactation was found (estimated slope = −0.01113, p < 0.0001). Conversely, the mean values of 3′SL varied little among countries and the mean ± SD was 127 ± 38 mg/L for the samples. There were no statistically significant trends for 3′SL concentration over course of the lactation in mature HM for all nine countries.Funded by Pfizer Nutrition.
Published Version
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