An Exclusive Human Milk Diet Can Reduce Necrotizing Enterocolitis
research by
Dr. Jae H. Kim (MD, PhD, FRCPC, FAAP)
Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics Division of Neonatal – Perinatal Medicine & Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition.
The premature infant grows at an incredible rate and so plain breast milk is not sufficient to provide enough energy, protein, and vitamins to grow well.
Neonatologists add nutritional supplements in the form of a fortifier which is cow’s milk based. A recent study performed at 12 different medical centers has been able to study the effect of an exclusively human milk diet, one with not only mother’s milk but added human milk based fortifier. This study looked at 207 infants that were randomly chosen to either standard cow’s milk fortifier or a human milk based fortifier for approximately the first 90 days of life. They found that the infants who were fed an exclusively human milk diet had significantly lower incidence of NEC (50% reduction) and even more importantly had a lower rate of surgical NEC (90%).
This study supports the need for increased human milk use in the NICU and provides the first compelling data that use of a human milk based fortifier can reduce NEC.
Sullivan S, Schanler RJ, Kim JH, et al. An exclusively human milk-based diet is associated with a lower rate of necrotizing enterocolitis than a diet of human milk and bovine milk-based products. J Pediatr. 2010;156:562-7
We lost our first baby to NEC after I developed P.E. I then developed it with my second pregnancy at 30 weeks,but thankfully my son hadn’t any problems with NEC.
I am now pregnant again and there is a strong chance that I’ll develop early onset P.E again and have another premature baby.
Reading research like this both pleases and worries you. Knowing that there are things that can be done but not knowing if your local hospital practise any of them is very unsettling. I hope that soon all hospitals are able to use this information and help prevent this horrible illness.
My husband and I losted our first child to NEC in early 2009. Reading this makes him and i happy knowing that some progress is being made in finding a cure for babies with NEC. And also knowing that soon enough there will be a known cause and cure and no one else will go threw the pain of losing a newborn. THANK YOU