Supplementing human breast milk with bovine formula not associated with increased morbidity

Results

Of 126 preterm infants enrolled in the study, 63 were randomized to control and 63 were randomized to intervention; 472 stool samples from 116 infants were analyzed.

There were no differences in bacterial richness or Shannon diversity over time, or at 34 weeks between trial groups.

The exclusive human milk diet group had reduced relative abundance of Lactobacillus after adjustment for confounders, but not after false discovery rate adjustment.

There were no differences in time to full feeds, necrotizing enterocolitis, or other key neonatal morbidities.

In this randomized clinical trial in preterm infants using human milk–derived formula and/or fortifier to enable an exclusive human milk diet, there were no effects on overall measures of gut bacterial diversity but there were effects on specific bacterial taxa previously associated with human milk receipt. These findings suggest that the clinical impact of human milk–derived products is not modulated via microbiomic mechanisms.

Reference:

Embleton ND, Sproat T, Uthaya S, et al. Effect of an Exclusive Human Milk Diet on the Gut Microbiome in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(3):e231165. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.1165