Premature newborns, otherwise known as preemies, face additional challenges in their first months of life as a result of missing out on the protection and nourishment they would otherwise get inside the womb. Many of these babies, for example, have higher nutritional requirements, for which human- or bovine-derived milk fortifiers (a more concentrated version of the formula given to term infants) are added to their primary source of milk, whether it is their mother’s or a donor’s. If they are mainly feeding on formula, they also get a more concentrated recipe designed for their condition.
Two independent studies—one published August 19 in Cell Host & Microbe and the other published August 26 in Cell Reports Medicine—assessed the role of these different dietary components in the development of the preemie gut microbiome. Their results suggest that there is no strong evidence that human-derived milk fortifiers are more advantageous than cows’ in ...
