Health benefits of dairy lipids and MFGM in infant formula

Human breast milk (HBM) is the gold standard for the early nutrition of the neonates. The best way to improve infant formulas (IFs) is to mimic both the composition and the structure of HBM components. Supplementation of IF with dairy lipids or bovine milk components such as milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), in partial replacement of plant oils that are currently mainly used, has health benefits for infants. In this article, results of clinical studies on the impact of IF supplementation with MFGM and dairy lipids on psychomotor development and infectious disease prevalence in infants are reviewed and supported by recent pre-clinical studies. Numerous human studies have reported beneficial effects of MFGM supplementation on neurocognitive development and protection against infectious agents without deleterious impact on growth. Based on rodent and porcine studies, benefits of adding bovine MFGM and dairy lipids in IFs on gut digestion, physiology and protection against pathogens and inflammatory challenges have also been highlighted. However, more randomized controlled trials testing IF supplementation with bovine milk fat, and specifically apolar lipids and associated glycoproteins, must be performed to increase scientific-based knowledge, address safety concerns, and study its potential programming role of adult health