The hearts of premature babies are more fragile and more exposed to heart disease. But’feeding with milk premature babies improves long-term heart structure as well as heart function, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Pediatrics.
In 1982, researchers at the University of Oxford (UK) began a study on the effects of diet on the heart health of premature babies. Among the panel of 900 participants of this study, 102 individuals volunteered for the second stage of the research. Their cardiovascular data was evaluated and compared to a control group.
“We already had data on more than 900 people followed since birth, as part of an earlier study started in 1982, on the effects of different diets in premature infants. We invited these participants, followed from the beginning of life for a cardiovascular study and used our data to assess how different diets may affect the development of the heart in the long term ”explains Dr. Adam Lewandowski of the cardiovascular clinical research department of Oxford University.
Breast milk protects premature babies from heart disease
The findings of the study show that thebreastfeeding was associated with greater volume and better heart function compared to artificial breastfeeding. Premature babies have smaller hearts than full term babies and weaker heart functions.
But infants, who at birth, benefited from exclusive breastfeeding (vs pediatric formula) have seen their heart health to improve.
“The more breast milk the premature baby received, the less his heart size and function ‘suffered’ from his prematurity,” says Dr Adam Lewandowski.
“Even the best baby formula lacks some of the growth factors, enzymes and antibodies found naturally in breast milk and essential for developing babies. While premature birth inevitably affects a child’s development, thebreastfeeding appears to be the best way to best preserve the child’s heart development ”.
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