About the nutrition of preterm neonates
While Human milk is the ideal nutrition for term infants, evidence indicates that the optimal development of preterm neonates require additional supplementation
| Recommended intake/kg/day(1, 2) |
Early preterm milk at 160 mL/kg/day |
Term milk (3) at 160mL/kg/day |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 120 kcal | ~ 107 kcal | ~ kcal |
| Protein | 3.5-4 (4.5) g | Typically below 2.6g | Invariably below 2.0 g |
| Calcium | 120 mg | ~ 50 mg | ~ 50 mg |
| Phosphorus | 60 mg | ~9 mg | ~ 9 mg |
Apart from macro and micronutrients, human milk also contains over 1000 bioactive components, many of which are not found in bovine or other animal milk. These include growth and development factors, components with immunologic protective roles, enzymes, transport proteins and other factors.
Extensive studies showed that, compared to cow milk-based formulas, human milk provided protection against common complications of prematurity. Some of these protective effects showed clear dose-dependence.
