Similar bifidogenic effects of prebiotic-supplemented partially hydrolyzed infant formula and breastfeeding on infant gut microbiota

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the quantitative and qualitative differences of the gut microbiota in infants. We evaluated gut microbiota at the age of 6 months in 32 infants who were either exclusively breast-fed, formula-fed, nursed by a formula supplemented with prebiotics (a mixture of fructo- and galacto-oligosaccharides) or breast-fed by mothers who had been given probiotics. The Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Clostridium and Lactobacillus/Enterococcus microbiota were assessed by the fluorescence in situ hybridization, and Bifidobacterium species were further characterized by PCR. Total number of bifidobacteria was lower among the formula-fed group than in other groups (P=0.044). Total amounts of the other bacteria were comparable between the groups. The specific Bifidobacterium microbiota composition of the breast-fed infants was achieved in infants receiving prebiotic supplemented formula. This would suggest that early gut Bifidobacterium microbiota can be modified by special diets up to the age of 6 months.

Starter formula enriched in prebiotics and probiotics ensures normal growth of infants and promotes gut health: a randomized clinical trial

“…This difference stems partly from the difference in the composition of the gut microbiota in these two populations. Breast milk stimulates the development of a bifidobacterium rich microbiome in full-term infants (4). Anaerobes such as Clostridium sp., Bacteroides sp., and facultative anaerobes such as Escherichia sp.…”

Yoghurt containing galacto-oligosaccharides, prunes and linseed reduces the severity of mild constipation in elderly subjects

“…The importance of fibre in alleviating constipation is well known (Taylor, 1990). In addition, GOS are reported to have a bifidogenic effect (Ito et al, 1990;Bouhnik et al, 1997;Boehm et al, 2002;Moro et al, 2002;Knol et al, 2005;Rinne et al, 2005), and here they may have altered bowel function through an increase in bifidobacteria and a change in the colonic environment. However, there were some subjects on whom the GOS had no effect; in fact, their constipation even became more severe.…”

“…GOS are composed of lactose and galactose units (Zaraté and Ló pezLeiva, 1990), and are found naturally in, for example, human milk (Kunz and Rudloff, 1993;McVeagh and Miller, 1997;Kunz et al, 2000). The prebiotic, bifidogenic effects of GOS or a mixture of GOS and fructo-oligosaccharides on the colonic microbiota have been shown in infants Moro et al, 2002;Knol et al, 2005;Rinne et al, 2005) as well as in adults (Ito et al, 1990;Bouhnik et al, 1997;Gopal et al, 2003), and GOS are therefore considered beneficial to human health. As GOS are fermented in the colon, the bacterial mass increases and this in turn increases faecal bulk and softens stools.…”

The bifidogenic effect of inulin and oligofructose and its consequences for gut health

“…One study in term infants consuming either 4 g/l or 8 g/l of this mixture in the formula indicated a dose-dependent increase in Bifidobacterium, whereas Lactobacillus changed with the same increase at both levels of intake (Moro et al, 2002). A number of studies reported that this prebiotic GOS/FOS mixture is able to induce a microbiota that closely resembles the microbiota of breast-fed infants, at the level of the different species of both Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus Rinne et al, 2005;Haarman and Knol, 2006). Scholtens et al (2006a) showed that this also happens in older children during weaning, when the mixture was added to solid food.…”