MEGMILK SNOW BRAND Co.,Ltd. and 雪印ビーンスターク analyzed glycans in breast milk collected 1–2 months after childbirth and infant health. The findings suggested that concentrations of certain glycans may be associated with a history of bronchitis or the development of food allergies.
MEGMILK SNOW BRAND Co.,Ltd. jointly analyzed the relationship between glycans in breast milk and infant health in 200 Japanese mother–infant pairs with 雪印ビーンスターク.
The analysis used breast milk collected 1–2 months after childbirth and measured 11 types of human milk oligosaccharides and 28 types of glycoprotein glycans.
The results suggested that some glycans containing sialic acid, including certain N-glycans and 6′-SL, may be associated with a history of bronchitis in infants up to 1 year of age. Some glycans, including 3-FL, were also suggested to be associated with food allergies.
The study was an observational study published in the European Journal of Nutrition. It did not establish a causal relationship between glycans and infectious or allergic diseases, and larger-scale validation studies are planned.