Influence of Feeding Type on Gut Microbiome Development in Hospitalized Preterm Infants.
Xiaomei Cong, Michelle Judge, Wanli Xu and 5 others
PMID 28252573WHAT IT FOUND
In hospitalized preterm infants, mother's own milk was associated with more diverse gut bacteria and lower Enterobacteriales than donor milk or formula.
This reports microbiome patterns, not proven clinical benefit.
Key findings
01Mother's own milk was associated with higher gut microbial diversity than donor milk, formula, or mixed donor milk and formula feeds.
02Infants fed mother's own milk had the lowest abundance of Enterobacteriales, while infants fed donor milk, formula, or donor milk plus formula had high Enterobacteriales at all time points.
03Feeding type explained 11% of variation in gut microbial community structure, and gender explained 6%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was an observational secondary analysis, not a randomised trial, so it cannot show that feeding type caused the microbiome differences. The study enrolled only stable preterm infants from two NICUs, so results may not apply to sicker infants, surgical infants, or healthy term infants. The outcomes were gut microbial patterns and diversity, not infection, feeding tolerance, growth, or clinical benefit. Feeding groups were defined by the main milk type over 10-day periods, and mixed feeds and feeding changes were grouped, so dose, timing, and individual component effects cannot be separated. Antibiotic use was routine and similar across the cohort, so the findings are not generalizable to settings with different antibiotic practice.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these gut bacteria patterns as proof that mother's own milk prevents infection or improves preterm infant outcomes. The paper reports microbial patterns and diversity, not clinical outcomes, and it cannot show that any feeding type caused the patterns.