They test an infant formula that achieves a positive impact on the intestinal microbiota and neurodevelopment similar to that produced by human milk

The results of the research in the COGNIS study, led by the University of Granada, show that it is possible to improve these formulas to optimize the maturation of the intestinal microbiota and the neurodevelopment of the baby in the first years of life.

The development of infant formulas based on breast milk manages to meet the nutritional needs of the little ones. These infant formulas can function as substitutes when breastfeeding is not possible or insufficient. This is demonstrated by the COGNIS study, led by the research group MP19-Nutrition and Childhood Metabolism of the ibs.GRANADA and the Department of Pediatrics of the University of Granada.

The research is the first to deal with an infant nutritional intervention with different bioactive compounds present in human milk. The work has shown the positive effects of an infant formula supplemented with synbiotics, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) and milk fat globule membranes (MFGM). The research, directed by Professor Cristina Campoy, director of the research group MP19-Nutrition and Childhood Metabolism of the ibs.GRANADA and the Department of Pediatrics of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Granada and the EURÍSTIKOS Center of Excellence for Pediatric Research, has verified the beneficial effects in healthy babies who received supplemented infant formula with respect to what was observed in babies fed an unsupplemented formula or in infants who received breast milk. In total, 220 babies took part in the study during the first 18 months of life.

“There is increasing evidence pointing to how the intestinal microbiota plays a determining role in the development of different organs and systems, such as the human brain or the immune system. For this reason, many efforts are focusing on finding out how the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract of a baby occurs after birth and the determining role of nutrition during the first months of life, where the gold standard is breast milk without any kind of doubt”, explains Professor Cristina Campoy.

However, feeding with breast milk is not always possible or sufficient. For this reason, babies who cannot access breast milk need the most suitable infant formulas for their correct growth and development. The new technological advances are allowing a great step forward in the development of infant formulas that seek to imitate the characteristics of human milk, both in its composition and in its functionality, to meet nutritional needs and minimize the impact on growth and development. of the baby. The results of the COGNIS study, published in the prestigious journal Clinical Nutrition, show that it is possible to improve these formulas to optimize the maturation of the intestinal microbiota and the neurodevelopment of the baby in the first years of life. The tested formula has demonstrated the ability to determine a maturational pattern of the intestinal microbiota more similar to that observed in children fed at the mother's breast.

Impact on the development of the intestinal microbiota and neurocognitive development

Breast milk promotes a slower development of the intestinal microbiota, showing a greater bacterial diversity between 12 and 18 months of age. Thanks to the follow-up carried out by Cristina Campoy's team, it has been possible to verify that babies who received a diet with a standard formula had a greater diversity of species in the intestinal microbiota already at 6 months of age, compared to children who received the enriched formula, and at the same time a lower bifidogenic and lactogenic effect.

The study has identified four enterotypes or global structures of the intestinal microbiota of participating babies: mixed enterotype, dominant in Bacteroides, enriched in Firmicutes; and a new enterotype dominated by a genus not classified within the genus Lachnospiraceae. All enterotypes were associated with the child's age during the first 18 months of life. The changes and evolution of the baby's enterotype were not random, but were strongly related to the type of feeding.

Infants fed standard unsupplemented formula have shown faster maturation of the gut microbiota than those fed breast milk. In those who received the supplemented formula, two groups have been observed, one of them has shown a rapid development of the intestinal microbiota and another slow. The slow trajectory has been associated with nurturing home, vaginal delivery, and a normal maternal preconception body fat index.

Comparing these trajectories with neurological development at 12 months and 4 years of age, it has been possible to verify that the results are similar between babies with slow maturation of the intestinal microbiota and those who were fed at the mother's breast. Thus, it can be concluded that feeding the baby with a formula supplemented with synbiotics, MFGM and LC-PUFAs, under normal conditions, has a long-term positive impact on intestinal development, delays the maturation of the intestinal microbiota and determines neurodevelopment. in the first years of life similar to that observed in breastfed infants.

The financing of the study has been provided by Laboratorios ORDESA, SL, SMARTFOODS Interempresas Project (CIEN) and the European project DynaHEALTH, of the HORIZON 2020 program.

Bibliographic reference:

Cerdó T, Ruíz A, Acuña I, Nieto-Ruiz A, Diéguez E, Sepúlveda-Valbuena N, Escudero-Marín M, García-Santos JA, García-Ricobaraza M, Herrmann F, Moreno-Muñoz JA, De Castellar R, Jiménez J, Suárez A, Campoy C. A synbiotics, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and milk fat globule membranes supplemented formula modulates microbiota maturation and neurodevelopment. Clinical Nutrition 41 (2022) 1697e1711
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov / 35777109 /