Abstract
Breastfeeding and human milk are the normative standards for feeding and nutrition of both term and pre-term infants. Fresh mother’s own milk is recognized as the optimal choice for feeding all newborns, including preterm and very low birth weight infants. Evidence documents short and long-term metabolic, immunologic and neurodevelopmental advantages of breastfeeding when compared to formula. Moreover, benefits of breastfeeding on psychological and relational aspects have to be considered. Currently, human milk supplementation is usually performed to meet the specific nutritional requirements of preterm infants. When mother’s milk is unavailable or in short supply, donor milk represents the best alternative, although some nutritional elements are inactivated by the necessary pasteurization process. Aim of this review is to briefly summarize the main biological and nutritional factors that contribute to the beneficial effects of human milk feeding for preterm infants.
Highlights
Aim of this review is to briefly summarize the main biological and nutritional factors that contribute to the beneficial effects of human milk feeding for preterm infants
Increasing evidence currently shows that short- and longterm benefits of human milk (HM) feeding for term infants extend to preterm and very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) [1,2,3]
Aim of this review is to briefly summarize the main biological and nutritional factors that contribute to the beneficial effects of HM feeding for preterm infants
Summary
Increasing evidence currently shows that short- and longterm benefits of human milk (HM) feeding for term infants extend to preterm and very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) [1,2,3]. Mother’s own milk is to be considered as the first choice for all infants. In order to meet the unique nutritional requirements of preterm infants and to preserve the singular benefit of breastfeeding, HM is recommended to be fortified to allow adequate growth and bone mineralization [4,5,6]. Aim of this review is to briefly summarize the main biological and nutritional factors that contribute to the beneficial effects of HM feeding for preterm infants
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