How HMOs can protect the gut during chemotherapy
Increasing scientific evidence points towards how the gastrointestinal tract plays an integral role in our health. Previously thought to be only a simple channel for the absorption of nutrients from food, the gut is a dynamic organ that is governed by the diversity of the trillions of bacteria that live within it. This bacterial signature is called the microbiome and it is unique to individuals.
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Good bacteria dominate the bad
In the state of health, the good bacteria dominate the bad. The balance of these microbiota is critical to the maintenance of one’s health. A change in this balance, called “dysbiosis”, is seen in numerous disease states such as inflammatory bowel disease, infectious diarrhea, or conditions where the gut is injured. The injured gut is “leaky” as it loses water and electrolytes, which eventually leads to dehydration. One way to combat this is by introducing scientifically formulated prebiotic sugars. This is our mission with HuMOLYTE — to help rebalance gut health with some of the best prebiotics on the market.
The gut membrane consists of trillions of epithelial cells that maintain the lining through which nutrients are absorbed. As the gut is injured, the absorption and retention of electrolytes is disturbed. Oral rehydration solutions provide electrolytes and water in the mix but these cannot be completely retained as the gut continues to leak these nutrients out.
This is exactly why HuMOLYTE was created. Using NUTRIENT CO-TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY (NCT)™, we combined a complex oligosaccharide with the MAGNAK electrolyte formula to create a gut health drink for rehydration. This prebiotic, oligosaccharide supplement helps maintain the integrity of the gut lining allowing electrolytes to be absorbed through the “healed” gut.
A leaky gut can lead to electrolyte losses causing dehydration
Dehydration is loss of fluid (water) and electrolytes from the body. In some states such as exercise, dehydration is a normal phenomenon. Hydration with water and electrolytes is usually enough to correct this state and drive the body towards normalcy. In pathological states such as diarrhea however, dehydration can be severe. Loss of electrolytes, particularly that of sodium, potassium and magnesium, can be significant if the dehydration continues for a long time. This particularly applies to patients who have gut injury resulting from an exposure to medications (chemotherapy or antibiotics), infection (from viruses or bacteria), inflammation as in inflammatory bowel disease. Replacing electrolytes and fluid can be challenging with a leaky gut as simple oral rehydration is unlikely to make a significant difference if the electrolyte losses continue. This is where HuMOLYTE is different- the HMOs in HuMOLYTE “heal” the gut or prevent the damage from chemotherapy, so that the intestinal cells can absorb nutrients.
Improving gut health with human milk oligosaccharides
Extensive scientific research has suggested that human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have a unique role in healing the gut cell lining and restoring the GI tract that can absorb water and electrolytes. Additionally, this prebiotic drink mix helps with nourishing the good bacteria with direct delivery of oligosaccharides into the gut lumen. This early evidence is derived from studies in infant nutrition after assessing the difference in the colonic (large intestinal) health of breast-fed infants versus those fed on formula. It was found that breast-fed infants have a robust microbiome that protects their gut from getting a dangerous infection called necrotizing enterocolitis as compared with infants that were fed on formula devoid of HMOs. After clinical trials showed a clear protective benefit of HMOs on the infant gut, specific HMOs were supplemented to infant food to improve their outcomes.
Out of the HMOs found in human milk, 2’-fucosyllactose, or 2’-FL, is the most abundant in quantity. 2’-FL has been shown to help support the growth of a healthy microbiome by selectively feeding the healthy bacteria such as Bifidobacterium adolescentis. This allows the good bacteria to dominate, and the changes in pH within the colon can prevent infections from pathogenic (bad) bacteria such as C. difficile that causes significant morbidity. Additionally, 2’-FL has shown to improve the integrity of the gut barrier membrane in vitro and in animal studies, thereby helping to strengthen the lining of the gut that absorbs the nutrients. In this regard, 2’-FL has been proposed to prevent the severity of the leaky gut as a stronger epithelial lining prevents the continual loss of electrolytes through the GI tract.
HMOs also play a big role in improving immune function. Some HMOs are known to modulate the immune system by acting as a decoy and preventing the severity of campylobacter jejuni infection, which is a leading cause of gastroenteritis and dehydration.
Thus, HMOs such as 2’-FL can protect the gut by maintaining the gut wall membrane, improving the microbiome and supporting immunity, all of which make it ideal to be included in a prebiotic supplement and hydration solution.
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References
Oral supplementation of healthy adults with 2′-O-fucosyllactose and lacto-N-neotetraose is well tolerated and shifts the intestinal microbiota, Elison, E. et al. 2016, Br J Nutr; 116(8):1356-1368.
Effects of Human Milk Oligosaccharides on the Adult Gut Microbiota and Barrier Function. Tanja Šuligoj, Louise Kristine Vigsnæs, Pieter Van den Abbeele, et al. Nutrients. 2020 Sep; 12(9): 2808.
The combination of sport and sport-specific diet is associated with characteristics of gut microbiota: an observational study. Lae-Guen Jang , Geunhoon Choi , Sung-Woo Kim, et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2019 May 3;16(1):21.
Human Milk Oligosaccharides: Every baby needs a sugar mama. Bode, L. Glycobiology. 2012 Sep;22(9):1147-62
Human milk oligosaccharides: The role in the fine-tuning of innate immune responses. Kulinich, A, Liu, L. Carbohydrate Research, 2016 Sep 2;432:62-70.
Similar to Those Who Are Breastfed, Infants Fed a Formula Containing 2’-Fucosyllactose Have Lower Inflammatory Cytokines in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Goehring, K, Marriage, B, Oliver, J et al. J Nutr. 2016 Dec;146(12):2559-2566.
Human Milk Oligosaccharides: 2’-Fucosyllactose (2’-FL) and Lacto-N-Neotetraose (LNnT) in Infant Formula. Vandenplas Y, Berger B, Carnielli VP, et al. Nutrients. 2018 Aug 24;10(9):1161.
Infants Fed a Lower Calorie Formula With 2’FL Show Growth and 2’FL Uptake Like Breast-Fed Infants. Marriage BJ, Buck RH, Goehring KC, et al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2015 Dec;61(6):649-58.
Effects of Infant Formula With Human Milk Oligosaccharides on Growth and Morbidity: A Randomized Multicenter Trial. Giuseppe Puccio, Philippe Alliet, Cinzia Cajozzo, et al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2017 Apr;64(4):624-631.
