Author
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HAIR, AMY - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) |
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HAWTHORNE, KELI - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) |
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CHETTA, KATHERINE - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) |
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ABRAMS, STEVEN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) |
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Submitted to: BMC Research Notes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 11/8/2013 Publication Date: 11/8/2013 Citation: Hair, A.B., Hawthorne, K.M., Chetta, K.E., Abrams, S.A. 2013. Human milk feeding supports adequate growth in infants </= 1250 grams birth weight. BMC Research Notes. 6:459. Interpretive Summary: Despite current nutritional strategies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, premature infants are at risk for slow growth after they are born. An exclusive human milk-based diet includes mother's own milk supplemented with donor human milk and a fortifier made from donor human milk that provides extra protein and minerals. This diet has been shown to significantly reduce the rate of necrotizing enterocolitis, a devastating intestinal disease, which often leads to complications and poor outcomes. There are concerns that infants may not achieve appropriate growth with this diet. We studied 104 premature infants that received this diet and showed that they had adequate growth when compared to other infants who received standard diets. The diet provided increased amounts of calories and protein earlier compared to standard diets. This study suggests that this feeding approach can be used to help premature infants grow and reduce the rate of intestinal disease. Technical Abstract: Despite current nutritional strategies, premature infants remain at high risk for extrauterine growth restriction. The use of an exclusive human milk-based diet is associated with decreased incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), but concerns exist about infants achieving adequate growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate growth velocities and incidence of extrauterine growth restriction in infants |
