ReviewAdvances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.)2012
Structure-function relationships of human milk oligosaccharides.
Review in Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 146 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
146 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 317 citations in OpenAlex.
- Relationships between the Intakes of Human Milk Components and Body Composition of Breastfed Infants: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2023Pooled it
- Systematic review of the concentrations of oligosaccharides in human milk.Nutrition reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Term infant formula supplemented with milk-derived oligosaccharides shifts the gut microbiota closer to that of human milk-fed infants and improves intestinal immune defense: a randomized controlled trial.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2022Trial
- Human milk oligosaccharides and their association with late-onset neonatal sepsis in Peruvian very-low-birth-weight infants.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Human Milk Oligosaccharide Profile Variation Throughout Postpartum in Healthy Women in a Brazilian Cohort.Nutrients · 2020Trial
- A Randomized Clinical Trial Evaluating the Effects of Oligosaccharides on Transfer of Passive Immunity in Neonatal Dairy Calves.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2016Trial
- Maternal obesity alters human milk oligosaccharides content and correlates with early acquisition of late colonizers in the neonatal gut microbiome.Gut microbes · 2026Article
- Decoding the HMO‒microbiome axis: bridging maternal milk to infant health outcomes.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Human Milk as a Model for Next-Generation Infant Formula: Opportunities and Challenges.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2026Review
- Mechanochemical Production of Oligosaccharide Alcohols via Borohydride-Mediated Activation and Reductive Stabilization.ChemSusChem · 2026Article
- Short-term modulation of human milk oligosaccharides in plasma and milk by glucose and insulin: insights into postpartum metabolic regulation.Diabetologia · 2026Article
- Changes in HMO profiles: from biochemical evidence to clinical considerations.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Expanding the Toolbox for Inducible Protein Expression With Automation-enabled Generation of Glycomimetics.Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2026Article
- Regulation of infant gut microbiota and metabolic pathways by human milk oligosaccharides: a multi-omics investigation.RSC advances · 2026Article
- Secretor status-dependent modulation ofFrontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Human milk oligosaccharide composition, concentrations and association with maternal factors in the multi-ethnic Asian GUSTO cohort.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Metabolic interactions and growth dynamics ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Partial Replacement of Maltodextrin With Galactose in Post-Weaning Diets of Mice Alters Body Composition and Energy Metabolism in Early-Life and Programs Hepatic Igf1 Expression in Later-Life.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2026Article
- p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl protective group as key to automated glycan assembly of neutral human milk oligosaccharides.Nature communications · 2025Article
86 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Human milk contains more than a hundred structurally distinct oligosaccharides. In this review, we provide examples of how the structural characteristics of these human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) determine functionality. Specific α1-2-fucosylated HMO have been shown to serve as antiadhesive antimicrobials to protect the breast-fed infant against infections with Campylobacter jejuni, one of the most common causes of bacterial diarrhea. In contrast, α1-2-fucosylation may abolish the beneficial effects of HMO against Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite that causes colitis, acute dysentery, or chronic diarrhea. In a different context, HMO need to be both fucosylated and sialylated to reduce selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling, adhesion, and activation, which may protect breast-fed infants from excessive immune responses. In addition, our most recent data show that a single HMO that carries not 1 but 2 sialic acids protects neonatal rats from necrotizing enterocolitis, one of the most common and often fatal intestinal disorders in preterm infants. Oligosaccharides currently added to infant formula are structurally different from the oligosaccharides naturally occurring in human milk. Thus, it appears unlikely that they can mimic some of the structure-specific effects of HMO. Recent advances in glycan synthesis and isolation have increased the availability of certain HMO tri- and tetrasaccharides for in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies. In the end, intervention studies are needed to confirm that the structure-specific effects observed at the laboratory bench translate into benefits for the human infant. Ultimately, breastfeeding remains the number one choice to nourish and nurture our infants.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.