GOS/FOS prebiotics in formula milk

FOS (which stands for fructooligosaccharides) and GOS (referring to galactooligosaccharides) are types of prebiotics⁴.

Prebiotics feed the good bacteria in our gut and support our overall health⁵, and your baby can get them from either breast milk or baby formula.

There are billions of bacteria living in your baby’s gut, and these make up their ‘gut microbiome’. These bacteria play a really important role in digesting food, supporting your baby’s immune system, and providing lots of other health benefits⁶ .

Just picture your baby’s gut microbiome as a garden full of plants and prebiotics like GOS and FOS as the sunlight and water that help them grow.

Breastmilk is recognised as the gold standard nutrition for babies and is rich in powerful prebiotics called human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)⁴. HMOs play an essential role in the development of your baby’s nervous system and immune system to support them as they grow⁷.

When your baby drinks your breast milk, HMOs make their way to their intestine undigested. Once there, they are used by good bacteria and help them to grow, fueling your baby’s gut microbiome.

In 1994, Nutricia Research (the research centre behind Aptamil) developed a unique prebiotic blend of 90% GOS and 10% FOS (9:1 GOS/FOS), closely resembling the structure of HMOs found in breastmilk. 

Some infant formulas are fortified with 9:1 GOS/FOS prebiotics that can act in a similar way to HMOs, feeding your baby’s good gut bacteria⁸. This means that if you decide to exclusively formula feed your baby with formula fortified with prebiotics or combination feed with breast milk, your little one can still get some of the benefits of prebiotic effects.

The special 9:1 GOS/FOS blend in some baby formulas can provide a number of benefits for your little one, like supporting their digestive system and laying important foundations for their immune system from the moment they’re born.

Prebiotics like GOS/FOS can help your baby to digest and absorb nutrients  by increasing the amount of good gut bacteria like bifidobacteria - a good bacteria that’s plentiful in the guts of breastfed babies⁹.

GOS/FOS can also have an impact on how they poo, as based on research, babies who drink infant formula enriched with a specific ratio and amount of prebiotics tend to have softer poos, similar to those babies who are breastfed¹⁰.

All in all, GOS and FOS play their part in supporting your baby’s digestive system.

GOS and FOS do more than feed the good bacteria in the gut microbiota; they can also support your baby’s developing immune system. That’s because they can strengthen the gut wall barrier and reduce inflammation to improve your baby’s natural defences⁴.

Research shows that having a healthy gut as a baby can prevent some diseases later in life too, so getting the right nutrition from day one can set your little one up with a strong, healthy immune system for life¹².

There's a lot of information out there on what and how to feed your baby, and it's easy to feel overwhelmed or anxious about making the right choice. That’s why we’re here to give you all the information you need on prebiotics, HMOs, and GOS/FOS, meaning you can make informed nutritional choices that work for you and your little one.

There’s no doubt that breastfeeding is best for your baby, but if you do choose to formula feed or combi feed, for whatever reason, selecting a baby formula that contains a special 9:1 blend of GOS/FOS can help to support your baby’s developing digestive system and support their immune system for a healthy start.