WHY IS FIBER a MAJOR MACRONUTRIENT IN HUMAN MILK?

The broader definition of fiber includes non-digestible carbohydrates present in human milk. In fact, oligosaccharides make up the 3rd major macronutrient by weight and their fermentation products (short chain fatty acids) are an important energy source as well as providing an acidic environment in the infant's colon that suppresses harmful bacteria. Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) are complexes of multiple sugar molecules not digested by the infant but serve as fermentation substrates for preferred gut microbes, bifidobacteria, our most important probiotics.