Abstract
Gastric emptying rate of pooled human mature milk (HM) and 4 infant milk formulae was evaluated in 8 preterm babies (birthweight: 1320-1760 g; age at the beginning of the study: 5-29 days). Residual gastric volume was measured at 30′ intervals for 120′ by a modification of J. George's method (Gut 9:237, 1968). Feeds were HM (61 Kcal/dl and 1.9 g protein/dl); Bonalac (72 and 1.8); F3242 (81 and 2.4); Nan (61 and 1.5) and S26 (63 and 1.4). Osmolarities ranged between 284 and 314 mOsm/kg. Infants were fed 18-22 ml of each formula in a sequential fashion. All five feeds were assayed in each baby.
Time of half gastric emptying were: HM: 25′ ± 5′ (geometric mean and standard deviation); Bonalac: 42′ ± 25′; F3242: 54′ ± 32′; Nan: 38′ ± 19′ and S26: 53′ ± 27′. Significant differences were found only between HM and the others (p < 0.001). Gastric emptying rate was faster with HM than with formulae (p < 0.01) and no statistical differences were found among formulae.
It is concluded that gastric emptying rate in preterm babies is faster with HM than with any other infant milk formula tested.
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Abeyá Gilardon, E., Spinelli, S., Tabosnanska, J. et al. 8 Gastric emptying in preterm babies fed human milk and infant milk formulae. Pediatr Res 15, 177 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198102000-00028
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198102000-00028