Is Early Breast Milk Fortification More Effective in Preterm Infants?: A Clinical Trial: Early and Late Fortification Publisher Pubmed



Alizadeh Taheri P² ; Sajjadian N¹ ; Asgharyan Fargi M² ; Shariat M³ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Perinatal Medicine Published:2017

Abstract

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. 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. 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. 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. © 2017 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.