Human milk contains more than 150 different oligosaccharides, which together are among to the quantitatively predominant solid components of breast milk. The oligosaccharide content and composition of human milk show large inter-individual differences. Oligosaccharide content is mostly influenced by genetic variants of the mother’s secretor status. Oligosaccharides in human milk are utilized by infants’ intestinal bacteria, affecting bacterial composition and metabolic activity. Maternal secretor status, and respective differing fucosylated oligosaccharide content, has been associated both with reduced and increased risk of infection in different populations of breastfed infants, possibly due to environmental conditions and the infant’s genotype. There are no safety concerns regarding the addition of previously approved oligosaccharides to infant formula; however, no firm conclusions can be drawn about clinically relevant benefits either. Therefore, infant formulas with synthetic oligosaccharide additives are currently not preferentially recommended over infant formulas without such additives. We consider the use of terms such as “human milk oligosaccharides” and corresponding abbreviations such as “HMO” in any advertising of infant formula to be an inappropriate idealization of infant formula. Manufacturers should stop this practice, and such marketing practices should be prevented by responsible supervisory authorities. Pediatricians should inform families that infant formulas supplemented with synthetic oligosaccharides do not resemble the complex oligosaccharide composition of human milk.

中文翻译：

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含有合成低聚糖的婴儿配方奶粉和相应的营销实践

母乳含有超过 150 种不同的低聚糖，它们共同构成母乳中数量上占优势的固体成分。人乳中的寡糖含量和组成存在很大的个体差异。寡糖含量主要受母亲分泌状态的遗传变异的影响。母乳中的寡糖被婴儿肠道细菌利用，影响细菌组成和代谢活动。母体分泌状态和各自不同的岩藻糖基化寡糖含量与不同母乳喂养婴儿群体的感染风险降低和增加有关，这可能与环境条件和婴儿的基因型有关。在婴儿配方奶粉中添加先前批准的寡糖没有安全问题；然而，也无法得出关于临床相关益处的确切结论。因此，目前不优先推荐含有合成低聚糖添加剂的婴儿配方食品而不是不含此类添加剂的婴儿配方食品。我们认为在任何婴儿配方奶粉广告中使用“母乳寡糖”等术语和相应的缩写“HMO”是对婴儿配方奶粉的不恰当理想化。制造商应该停止这种做法，并且负责任的监管机构应该阻止这种营销行为。