NIH Radio
Breast Milk Associated with Greater Mental Development in Preterm Infants, Fewer Re-hospitalizations
Brief Description:
Extremely low birth weight premature babies who received breast milk shortly after birth had greater mental development scores at 30 months than did infants who were not fed breast milk, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
Transcript:
Schmalfeldt: Extremely low birth weight premature babies who received breast milk shortly after birth had greater mental development scores at 30 months than did infants who were not fed breast milk, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health. What's more, babies fed breast milk were less likely to be re-hospitalized after their initial discharge than the babies who were not fed breast milk. This study is a follow-up to a previous study, according to Dr. Rosemary Higgins, program officer with the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch at the NICHD.
Higgins: We had one study in this population looking at these children at 18 months showing that the breast-fed babies had developmental gains at that point in time. However, some of the information gained at 18 months is not always translatable to older children. So we then got these children back at age 30 months, and the gain persisted in their mean developmental index.
Schmalfeldt: Researchers have long known the benefits of breast milk for full term infants, but the potential effects in preterm babies had not been well-studied, according to Dr. Higgins.
Higgins: There's natural substances in breast milk that are very beneficial. There are several that are known, however, key factors that contribute overall are still not clear and no one has been able to reproduce this in formula.
Schmalfeldt: Researchers speculated that nutrients present in breast milk might foster brain development. The study appeared in the October 1 issue of Pediatrics. From the National Institutes of Health, I'm Bill Schmalfeldt in Bethesda, Maryland.
About This Audio Report
Date: 10/05/2007
Reporter: Bill Schmalfeldt
Sound Bite: Dr. Rosemary Higgins
Topic: Premature Birth
Institute(s): NICHD
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