ArticleBMC nutrition2022
Effect of bovine milk fat-based infant formulae on microbiota, metabolites and stool parameters in healthy term infants in a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled trial.
Article in BMC nutrition, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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
3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Human Milk as a Model for Next-Generation Infant Formula: Opportunities and Challenges.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2026Review
- Early-Life Gut Health Indicators and Reported Prevalence of Infant Functional Constipation by Healthcare Professionals.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNatural enrichment of sn-2 palmitate content of infant formulae by using bovine milk fat is known to reduce formation of faecal fatty acid soaps and to improve stool consistency, but effects on gut microbiota composition are unknown. The purpose of this study was to test the influence of milk fat-based formula high in sn-2 palmitate on the infants' gut microbiota composition and to confirm the beneficial effects of the formula on formation of faecal fatty acid soaps and stool consistency.
methodsTwenty-two healthy term, formula-fed infants were enrolled in a single-blinded randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled trial. After a 2-week run-in period, infants received either a 50% milk fat-based formula containing 39% sn-2 palmitate (MF) or a vegetable fat-based formula (VF) containing 10% sn-2 palmitate in a 2 × 2-week crossover design. Faecal microbiota composition was the primary outcome of the study. Other outcomes included faecal fatty acid soap excretion, calcium excretion, gut comfort parameters and faecal metabolites.
resultsMicrobiota analysis showed that bifidobacteria dominated the gut microbiota of most infants. Neither alpha- nor beta-diversity was significantly influenced by the intervention. Also, abundance of metabolic pathways was independent of the intervention. The MF formula resulted in significantly lower faecal levels of palmitic acid soap (p = 0.0002) and total fatty acid soaps (p = 0.0001) than the VF formula. Additionally, calcium excretion and palmitic acid concentration were significantly (p = 0.0335) lower in stool samples after MF intervention. Furthermore, a significant physiological effect on softer stools was observed in the MF intervention compared to the VF intervention (p = 0.02). Of the 870 measured faecal metabolites, 190 were significantly different after MF and VF intervention (FDR corrected p < 0.05). Most of these were found at higher levels after MF intervention, potentially indicative of the complex structure of milk fat. Metabolites with more than twofold change between interventions were mostly lipid-derived and included several milk fat-specific fatty acids.
conclusionsReplacing part of the vegetable fat in infant formula with bovine milk fat with high sn-2 palmitate levels did not change the microbiota composition, although a reduction in faecal palmitate soaps, total fatty acid soaps and calcium excretion while improving stool consistency in the MF intervention was confirmed. In addition, 190 faecal metabolites were significantly different, many related to the fat source.
trial registrationNetherlands Trial Registry Identifier: NL7815 19/06/2019.
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