Development in infant formula
Bimuno, a unique galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS), has been found to be functionally similar to human milk oligosaccharides (HMOS) by producing comparable anti-inflammatory intestinal protection, according to new data published in The Journal of Nutrition.
This new research shows that the anti-inflammatory intestinal protection effect of human milk oligosaccharides can be synthetically replicated, marking an important step forward in infant formula development.
Dr David Newburg, director, program in Glycobiology at Boston College and lead investigator of the study, says, “The benefits of human milk in promoting healthy gut bacteria – providing protection from infection, reducing inflammation and supporting healthy gut development – are well documented. Scientists have long been trying to understand and replicate this functionality.
“The outcomes of this study suggest that HMOS are responsible for the critical anti-inflammatory protection of the very sensitive infant gut during its post birth maturation, and that the specific synthetic GOS, Bimuno, has a comparable effect. With further investigation, this form of GOS may be able to provide infants with similar intestinal protection. It may also have anti-inflammatory implications for the adult gut, such as protecting against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).”
The study investigated the anti-inflammatory properties of HMOS and the unique GOS, Bimuno, on gut inflammation using a human cell based model. Both HMOS and GOS were found to directly reduce inflammation, which is considered to be essential for healthy gut development in early life.
Graham Waters, CEO at Clasado (the producers and suppliers of Bimuno), adds, “We are excited by the results of this important study and are committed to further investigating the benefits Bimuno could offer infants who cannot be breast fed. The next step in our robust scientific programme is an infant feeding study comparing the properties of human milk, Bimuno and other GOS formulations.
“We hope it won’t be long before infants who cannot be breast fed will be able to experience similar anti-inflammatory benefits as breast fed infants.”
