Can Fortifying Breast Milk Early Help Preterm Babies Grow Better?

When babies are born too early, giving them the right nutrition is critical — but experts still debate the best time to add extra nutrients (called "fortification") to breast milk. Our recent clinical trial studied whether starting this fortification within the first week of life helps these tiny babies grow more lean tissue, also known as fat-free mass.

The trial included 80 preterm infants born between 29 and 33 weeks and weighing under 1800 grams (about 4 pounds). We compared babies who started fortified milk between days 4 and 7 with those who started later, between days 10 and 14.

The key finding? While early fortification didn't significantly improve fat-free mass scores compared to later fortification, it did lead to modest gains in weight, length, and fat-free mass (in grams) by around 5 weeks of age. In short: early fortification may not dramatically change body composition, but it might give preterm infants a small growth boost during a critical time.

These results suggest that fortifying breast milk a bit earlier could be a safe and potentially helpful strategy — one that supports healthier growth in some of our most vulnerable newborns.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39986385/