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REVIEW article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1466528

Narrative Review of Methodological Advances in Human Milk Fortification: For Better Preterm Infant Growth

Provisionally accepted
Jiabin Yang Jiabin Yang 1Qin Tang Qin Tang 2Ping Zhou Ping Zhou 2*
  • 1 Department of Pediartics, Longgang Central Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
  • 2 Department of Neonatology, Baoan Women's and Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    It is generally suggested that human milk alone might not be enough to meet the nutritional requirements of very preterm infants, necessitating the use of nutritional fortification. The composition of human milk varies among individuals and changes over time, challenging the assumption that protein content and energy density remain constant during standard fortification. Consequently, it has led to suboptimal body growth rates in most very preterm infants compared to fetuses of the same gestational age. In light of this, personalized fortification and innovative fortification strategies have been introduced. This paper aims to review the importance of fortification and the shortcomings of standard fortification, as well as describe and evaluate the advantages and limitations of various individualized fortifications. The optimal use of human milk fortification, in accordance with the nutrient content of human milk and the physiological maturity and growth of preterm infants, is a crucial aspect of the field of preterm infant nutrition.

    Keywords: preterm infants, Breast milk fortifier, standard fortification, Individualized fortification, extrauterine growth retardation

    Received: 31 Aug 2024; Accepted: 13 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Tang and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ping Zhou, Department of Neonatology, Baoan Women's and Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.