Is early breast milk fortification more effective in preterm infants?: a clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE
Breast feeding alone does not provide adequate nutrition for growth in preterm infants; therefore, fortifiers are added when over 70-80 cc/kg/day of breast milk is tolerated. As there are few studies comparing early and late breast milk fortification, the following study was conducted.


METHODS
This double-blind clinical trial was performed on 80 preterm infants (gestational age of 28-34 weeks, birth weight <2 kg). The newborns were randomly divided into two groups to receive either early or late fortification. The primary and secondary outcomes were the difference in growth indices and complications (including feeding intolerance, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and septicemia) between the two groups, respectively.


RESULTS
Both groups showed increases in growth indices; however, there was no statistically significant difference in increments of growth indices and complications between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that early fortification from the first feeding in neonates with exclusive breast feeding did not improve growth in the first 4 weeks in preterm neonates in comparison with late fortification; so early fortification may not be cost effective.
.
Peymaneh
P
Alizadeh Taheri
.
Negar
N
Sajjadian
.
Marzieh
M
Asgharyan Fargi
.
Mamak
M
Shariat
D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D000073923:Food Intolerance / Q000453:epidemiology; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human; D018805:Sepsis / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors
Early fortification; human milk; late fortification; preterm newborns