Webinar preview: Chr. Hansen emphasizes the importance of HMOs for infant nutrition and human health

26 Apr 2023 --- Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) – a nutrient uniquely composed in human breast milk – for infant health. The ingredient has not only been shown to bolster the infant immune system but also to modulate the infant gut microbiome.

Ahead of Chr. Hansen’s upcoming webinar titled, “How HMOs can support the immune system – new clinical and preclinical insights,” on May 9 (13:00 CET), NutritionInsight speaks with the company’s head of applied HMOs, Dr. Stina Rikke Jensen, and its HMO scientific advisor, Dr. Yannik Bernd Schönknecht.

“HMOs are a major component of human milk and they represent the third most abundant component after lactose and lipids,” say Jensen and Schönknecht. “Scientific data indicates that each HMO may bring a unique health benefit, so each has its own structure and function – its own purpose.”

Dr. Stina Rikke Jensen, head of applied HMOs at Chr. Hansen.“Breastfeeding is the golden standard for infant nutrition. However, some infants cannot be breastfed due to different reasons. In these cases, supplementation of HMOs in infant formula will improve the nutritional composition for formula fed infants by bringing the product closer to the composition of breast milk.”

Additionally, they reveal that the potential of HMOs goes beyond infant health. Chr. Hansen expects more of these applications to be studied in the future.

Highlighting HMOs’ importance
Jensen and Schönknecht highlight that science has discovered, so far, over 150 HMOs in human milk – each with its own specific function. 

“These can be divided into fucosylated, neutral and sialylated HMOs,” they explain. “This was another key factor in the development of the Chr. Hansen 5 HMO mix to cover all three structural groups. The scientific data suggests that HMOs have the potential to support the immune system – both indirectly and directly. Indirect effects are through the microbiome by acting as a prebiotic that can favor groups of beneficial bacteria such as Bfidobacteria.”

“The direct effects include the interaction of HMOs with, for example, the intestinal epithelium and immune cells. Some HMOs are being absorbed into the blood, where they can interact with immune cells and thereby modulate the immune responses beneficially. However, the immunomodulatory effect of HMOs is still not fully understood and, therefore, ongoing research is studying these mechanisms more thoroughly.”

Moreover, Jensen and Schönknecht state that they expect even more HMOs and their corresponding effects to be discovered in the future as research continues.Dr. Yannik Bernd Schönknecht, scientific advisor for HMO at Chr. Hansen.

Exploring the science
According to Chr. Hansen, there is a plethora of science on the subject and most of the research is focused on the individual effects of single HMOs such as 3’-SL, 6’-SL, 3-FL and lacto-N-neotetraose. Furthermore, Jensen and Schönknecht underscore that the Chr. Hansen’s scientific team has investigated and shown how they can affect the infant microbiome, modulate the immune system and positively affect the intestinal barrier.

“Moreover, it has been shown that HMOs favor a bifidobacterial community which is similar to what is found in breastfed infants,” they reveal. “The functional characteristics of the Bifidobacteria are also being studied more thoroughly to understand what it means for the infants’ health. Due to the large complexity of HMOs and the many benefits.”

“Some studies investigated HMO effects beyond safety and tolerability and showed promising results by shifting certain outcomes closer to that of breastfed infants. For example, Chr. Hansen was the first to study an infant formula with 5 HMO mix and showed that outcomes shifted into the direction of breastfed infants, including the microbiome composition with higher Bifidobacteria abundancy and more frequent and softer stools.”

Infant formula fortification
Chr. Hansen notes that, prior to incorporation into infant formula, HMOs undergo several in-depth processes to prove their safety and gain regulatory approval. The company states that all of the clinical studies conducted so far consistently show the safety and tolerability of varying HMO structures in different types of infant formula.Incorporating HMOs into infant formula could greatly boost the immune systems and gut health of formula-fed infants.

Jensen and Schönknecht elaborate on why this is important, stating: “HMOs have shown to support in the establishment of the gut microbiome, maturation of the immune system and intestinal barrier function, contribute against the colonization of opportunistic microbes and brain development. Chr. Hansen has developed a mix of the five most abundant HMOs that represent the most researched ones and their indicated health benefits.”

“There is little to no interaction with other compounds and ingredients in foods, respectively, which simplifies their processing and allows for them to be included as ingredients in both liquid and solid foods. Also, they show high stability during storage time, as long as they are stored in a dry and closed container.”

Next steps
Jensen and Schönknecht affirm that, although all of the scientific data associate HMOs with the effects on the immune system, gastrointestinal health, the microbiome and more, research in this area is still in its infancy and multiple preclinical and clinical studies are still needed. Especially to investigate how HMOs can be incorporated outside of the infant nutrition sector.

“In general, the scientific field of HMOs for food applications is still a relatively young field,” stress Jensen and Schönknecht. “First studies have been mainly performed by Chr. Hansen since 2015 and focused primarily on infant formula. Of note, few studies investigated HMO supplementation in children and adults.” 

“This first generation of studies primarily focused on the safety and tolerability, which was confirmed in all age groups,” they conclude. “At Chr. Hansen, the R&D team is driving its own design of clinical trials that are needed to study, particularly, the health outcomes beyond tolerability. Already today, the team has built exciting preclinical evidence that associates HMOs with several effects on the immune system.”

By William Bradford Nichols