Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40369689›Full record

Trial reportMicrobiome2025

Milk phospholipid-coated lipid droplets modulate the infant gut microbiota and metabolome influencing weight gain.

Simone Zuffa, Christophe Lay, Elizabeth A Wimborne, Arabella Hornung Rodriguez, Yi Wu, Franklin L Nobrega, Nana Bartke, Anita C S Hokken-Koelega, Jan Knol, Guus Roeselers and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Microbiome, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Impact of Prematurity on Metabolic Maturation.Journal of proteome research · 2026
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Simone ZuffaSkaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, USA.
Christophe LayDanone Research & Innovation, Precision Nutrition, D-Lab, Singapore, Singapore.
Elizabeth A WimborneFaculty of Medicine, School of Human Development and Health, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Arabella Hornung RodriguezFaculty of Medicine, School of Human Development and Health, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Yi WuFaculty of Life Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Franklin L NobregaFaculty of Life Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Nana BartkeDanone Research & Innovation, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Anita C S Hokken-KoelegaErasmus University Medical Centre, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Jan KnolDanone Research & Innovation, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Guus RoeselersDanone Research & Innovation, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Jonathan R SwannDepartment of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK. j.swann@soton.ac.uk.

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/W00139X/1Medical Research Council MR/W003597/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe supramolecular structure and composition of milk fat globules in breast milk is complex. Lipid droplets in formula milk are typically smaller compared to human milk and differ in their lipid and protein composition. These droplets play an important role in gut and immune maturation, and their components possess antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Here, the influence of a concept infant formula (IF) containing large milk phospholipid-coated lipid droplets on the maturation of the infant microbiota, metabolome, and weight gain in the first year of life was investigated.

resultsFormula-fed infants were randomized to receive either a standard IF (Control) or a Test formula containing large milk phospholipid-coated lipid droplets (Test) until 17 weeks of age. A breast-fed Reference group was also investigated. At 3 months of age, several taxa identified as opportunistic pathogens (e.g., Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Enterococcus, Streptococcus) were less abundant in the Test stools compared to Control, while an enrichment of the butyrate-producing Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae was observed. These findings indicate that the Test formula resulted in gut microbiota maturation trajectories more comparable to healthy breast-fed infants. This was accompanied by variation in several fecal and plasma metabolites at 3 months of age related to gut microbial metabolism including bile acids, hippurate, phenylacetylglycine, trimethylamine, and various lipids and fatty acids. At 12 months, measures of subcutaneous fat and body mass index (BMI) were significantly higher in infants receiving standard IF compared to those receiving breast milk. However, this weight gain and adiposity was attenuated in the Test group infants.

conclusionsThe presence of large phospholipid-coated lipid droplets in formula milk positively influenced the development of the infants' gut microbiota, their metabolomic profiles, and their body composition to more closely resemble breast-fed infants compared to standard IF. These droplets may further enhance the restriction of pathogenic bacteria seen with standard infant formula and suggest a potential impact on infant metabolic programming that may contribute to physiological development. Video Abstract.

Indexed as

Gastrointestinal MicrobiomeInfant FormulaLipid DropletsMetabolomeMilk, HumanPhospholipidsWeight GainBacteriaBreast FeedingFecesFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMalePhospholipidsBMIBreast milkFormula milkInfantLipidsMetabolomicsMicrobiomeMicrobiotaMilk fat globulesTriglycerides

Identifiers

PMID40369689
PMCPMC12076826

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.