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Artificial breast milk has been synthesized
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Support and protection of breastfeeding is the main task of practical health care. Several directions are distinguished in solving this issue, one of which is adequate and timely introduction of complementary feeding in the first year of the baby's life, as well as the correct selection of substitutes for mother's milk when breastfeeding is impossible.
Research in recent decades has revealed the importance of mother's milk, which affects the intestinal microflora of the infant from the first months of life. Microbiologists from the University of Illinois have discovered the main component that protects the infant's body from pathogens - oligosaccharides - the indigestible part of the carbohydrate component of breast milk.
Thanks to this component, short-chain fatty acids and lactic acid are produced in the child’s intestines, which participate in the nutrition of beneficial intestinal microflora.
Oligosaccharides are present in breast milk in higher concentrations than proteins, but their impact on infant health has not yet been fully studied. These substances are virtually absent from baby food.
The aim of the scientists' research was to identify the shortcomings of feeding children with formula.
"We know that oligosaccharides are vital because they are the component that has a beneficial effect on the gut microbiota, which is one of the protective barriers to toxigenic bacteria. We are interested in their role in the development of gut bacteria in breastfed infants because the gut bacteria in formula-fed infants are different," says Michael Miller, professor of food microbiology.
Oligosaccharides are non-digestible food ingredients, i.e. prebiotics, which have a beneficial effect on digestion. This effect is achieved by selectively stimulating the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.
As is known, children who are breastfed suffer from intestinal infections less often and their immune system is stronger. Unfortunately, not everything that nature has created can be created by humans.
For the experiments, the scientists isolated and analyzed oligosaccharides from the breast milk of mothers of premature babies.
Prebiotic fibres were added to formulas fed to 9- and 17-day-old piglets (their ages are approximately 3 and 6 months for human infants) and the composition of the formulas was studied for bacterial populations.
Scientists have found that when oligosaccharides are introduced, the active production of short-chain fatty acids begins, which can be called fuel for the development of beneficial bacteria. They affect the acidity level in the stomach and also protect against dangerous pathogenic bacteria.
According to the researchers, oligosaccharides are a very important element, essential for the normal development of a child. They create favorable conditions for maintaining the normal composition of intestinal microflora, and are an excellent preventative for constipation and dysbacteriosis in children.
"Some companies are already synthesizing oligosaccharide. This will make it possible in the future to make artificial feeding of infants and breastfeeding as equal as possible," comments Professor Miller.