Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are an important group of glycoconjugates found in concentrations of 10 to 20 g L~(-1) in human milk, with over 130 HMOs isolated to date. It has been shown that HMOs are the sole carbon source for bifidobacteria, which are Gram-positive anaerobic bacteria that naturally colonise the human intestinal tract. Bifidobacteria have been found to be more abundant in the guts of breast-fed newborns, compared to the guts of formula-fed newborns, owing to the abundance of HMOs in human milk, and are believed to be important in infant health.
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