The statement concerning premature infant nutrition and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) has been issued by the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The agreement in part reads, “while there is a preference for human milk, all infants should be fed as soon as is medically feasible through whatever appropriate nutritious food source is available.”
NEC is a condition that causes inflammation and death of the tissue lining the intestine, which can lead to a life-threatening infection, as stated. Among preterm infants, particularly those born at a very low birth weight, NEC is a significant cause of illness and mortality.
Approximations indicate that NEC causes the death of one infant daily in the United States and the survivors may require “traumatic” surgeries, experience neurodevelopmental impairments and face lifelong consequences, as stated.
The following statement is in response to the assembly of the “Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Infants Working Group” by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the National Advisory Council of Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD), which is an existing Federal Advisory Committee. This assembly was assembled at the order of the US Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
It is crucial to note that infant nutrition plays a vital role in the development of the brain and organs, “There has been ongoing public discussion about the current state of science and research gaps regarding NEC, particularly as it relates to preterm infant formulas,” the statement reads.
The link between feeding and NEC development is uncleare, according to the advisory council. But the evidence currently available suggests that the lack of any human milk in an infant’s diet is linked to a higher risk of NEC.
Research also indicates that breast milk greatly decreases, the likelihood of NEC but does not completely eliminate. It remains unclear why NEC develops in babies who are solely fed breast milk. Additionally, the statement suggests that the lack of breast milk is linked to a higher risk of NEC, rather than the actual use of premature infant formula.
The collective federal agencies acknowledged that while mother’s milk is the preferred source of nutrition, with pasteurized donor human milk as the next best option, preterm infant formulas are a crucial option for premature infants.
“For infants where the supply of human milk is insufficient, these formulas are part of the standard of care for premature infants,” wrote the authors of the consensus statement.
The following points were made regarding feeding practices and NEC:
– There is no definitive proof that NEC is caused by preterm infant formula.
– There is compelling evidence that human milk helps prevent NEC.
“Evidence to date suggests that preterm birth is the primary risk factor for developing NEC, but important scientific gaps exist for understanding the epidemiology of NEC, biologic mechanisms of NEC and the exposures and feeding practices that may be positively or negatively associated with the risk of NEC development, severity and mortality,” stated the agencies in the consensus statement.