New Study: Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Glycerol Monolaurate (GML) in Human Milk versus Bovine Milk and Commercial Infant Formula

In this new open access study, researchers examined glycerol monolaurate (GML) in whole pasteurized human milk versus bovine milk and commercial infant formula for antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium perfringens, and Escherichia coli.

Human milk samples contained approximately 3000µg/ml of GML, in contrast to 150μg/ml in bovine milk and no GML in infant formula. Researchers found that GML fights infections by the above-mentioned harmful bacteria while allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive.

Title: Glycerol Monolaurate Contributes to the Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Human Milk.

In: Scientific Reports 2019 Oct 10;9(1):14550. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51130-y.

Authors: Schlievert PM, Kilgore SH, Seo KS, Leung DYM.

Open access: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-51130-y

The press release in ScienceDaily, which mentions that a patent application is underway for GML as a beneficial additive to cows' milk and infant formula: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191010075428.htm