Human milk microorganisms and their influences on infant health:research progress
Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for newborns.It not only provides rich nutrients,but also affects the initial colonization of intestinal bacteria and the body health of newborns through its unique microbiota.Both culture-de-pendent and genome sequencing-dependent approaches reveal the diversity and stability of breast milk microorganisms.In addition to Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus,breast milk also contains a variety of potential probiotics.Human milk oli-gosaccharides(HMOs)are the third most abundant nutrients in breast milk following lactose and lipids.As a natural prebi-otic,HMOs can selectively promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and play a key role in promoting the healthy develop-ment of breastfed infants.This review summarizes the types,sources and changes of microorganisms in breast milk during lactation,as well as their relationship with HMOs,and discusses the potential impact of breast milk microorganisms on in-fant health,including inhibiting the invasion of pathogens into the intestine,promoting the development of the immune sys-tem,regulating infant metabolism and improving early cognitive development,in order to provide theoretical guidance for the development of probiotics from breast milk.