MFGM marvel: Complex component in human milk linked to long-term cognitive benefits

01 Sep 2023 --- Known as the “gold standard” in infant nutrition, breast milk is considered to play an essential role in infant immunity, gut and brain health, yet many families encounter obstacles to breastfeeding.

However, a team of researchers from the University of Kansas is unveiling the results of a study demonstrating that a complex component found in milk fat globule membranes (MFGMs), which can be added to infant formula, has the potential to bestow enduring cognitive advantages on children.

“No one thought much about this membrane,” says Dr. John Colombo, the lead author of the study. “Until chemical analyses showed that it’s remarkably complex and full of components that potentially contribute to health and brain development.”

Boosting brains
Scientists and infant nutrition and formula companies have long endeavored to create a viable substitute or supplement to breast milk, aiming to provide children with optimal early development. According to the Centers for Disease Control, only 45% of infants in the US remain exclusively breastfed at three months old.

According to the researchers, the study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics and conducted in collaboration with Mead Johnson Nutrition and partners in Shanghai, China, bolsters the growing body of scientific evidence supporting the importance of elements found in MFGMs during early human development.The researchers note that cognitive benefits continued well beyond the breastfeeding period.

Moreover, the study reveals that feeding infants with formula enriched with MFGM and lactoferrin for 12 months led to a five-point increase in IQ by the age of 5.5 years. The researchers state that these effects were most pronounced in assessments of children’s information processing speed and visual-spatial skills. 

Additionally, significant differences were observed in children’s performance on tests of executive function, which encompass complex skills like rule learning and inhibition. Notably, these advantages persisted in children long after the cessation of formula feeding at 12 months of age, demonstrating the potential long-term impact of such nutritional enhancements.

“This is consistent with the idea that early exposure to these nutritional components contribute to the long-term structure and function of the brain,” Colombo explains.

Multifunctional MFGMs
Colombo further remarks that all forms of mammalian MFGMs are enveloped by a membrane composed of nutrients that he says are crucial to human nutrition and brain development. However, when manufacturing milk-based infant formula, this membrane is typically removed.

The researchers also stressed that, although the global nutrition research community has investigated MFGMs for over a decade, since the membrane comprises various components, it remains unclear whether a specific component is responsible for these benefits or if the combined nutrients work in concert to enhance brain and behavioral development.

In other MFGM developments, Nutiani by Fonterra recently pegged the ability of the ingredient to help reduce stress and improve mood. Also, Arla Foods Ingredients launched a low-protein infant formula with several functional ingredients, including Lacprodan Alpha-50 and Lacprodan MFGM-10.

Edited by William Bradford Nichols