Human Milk Fat Boosts Growth in Premature Infants, Study

Providing cream supplement, a byproduct of human milk fat, boosts growth in premature infants, a new study reveals.

For preemies kept in the neonatal intensive care unit, adequate growth is a must and this is an indicator for better long-term health and developmental outcomes. In a new finding, researchers at USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital found that incorporating cream supplement into the premature infants' diet can help boost their growth outcomes.

"For premature babies who weigh less than 1,000 grams (about 2 pounds, 2 ounces), one of the problems is that their lungs and other organs are still developing when they are born. If the infant gains weight and increases in length at a good rate while in the NICU, this helps improve their outcomes," said Dr. Amy Hair, assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor, neonatologist at Texas Children's Hospital and first author of the study.

Studies conducted earlier found that human milk diet offers protection to the preemies' intestine and supports their growth. The diet mostly consists of mother's breast milk or donor human milk, as well as a fortifier of protein and mineral made of donor milk.

In this study, the researchers found a method to boost growth in very small infants (who weighed between 750-1,250 grams) who require additional calories. They found that one of the byproducts of pasteurizing donor milk is milk fat that is referred to as cream supplement.

They compared the growth outcomes of those who received exclusive human milk diet and cream supplement and those infants who received just exclusive human milk diet. They found that those receiving cream supplement had better growth outcomes in terms of weight and length than the infants in control group.

"This is a natural way to give them fat. Previously, we would add oils or infant formula to help premature babies grow, but we can now use a natural source from donor milk," said Hair. "Because the growth was both in weight and length, this growth is likely lean mass, consisting of bone and muscle growth."

The finding was documented in the Journal of Pediatrics.