Breast milk good for premature infants

The omega-3 fatty acids found in breast milk may boost premature infants' growth and development soon after birth.

It's known that omega-3 fats are vital for brain and eye development, both before birth and over the first few years of life. Breast milk naturally contains the fats, but the concentrations depend on the mother's diet.

The main dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids is oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and albacore tuna. However, because fatty fish are also more likely to contain mercury, which is toxic to developing nerve cells, pregnant and breastfeeding women should not consume too much.

Studies in the past have shown that these nutrients increase the gestational duration and lessen the risk of premature birth.

To evaluate the impact of essential fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids found in breast milk on the growth and development of premature children, researchers from Brazil followed 37 premature infants (with a gestational age of 37 weeks or less) for the first six months of their life. The milk from mothers, weight, height and head circumference measures of children were collected during the follow up. The breast milk fatty acids were quantified by gas-liquid chromatography, which is a laboratory technique used for separating and analysing compounds. 

It was found that total n-3 PUFA was positively associated with weight gain, height and body mass index of children. Both linoleic acid and total essential fatty acids were also positively associated with BMI and head circumference, whereas oleic acid was positively associated only with head circumference. These findings show that dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids are transferred into human breast milk and subsequently aids in the growth of premature infants.

The researchers recommended that premature infants, who tend to have lower levels of omega-3 fats in their blood at birth, should get enough through breast milk.