Preterm babies have reduced heart volume and function. But the damage can be reduced when they are exclusively breastfed because breast milk contains essential nutrients.
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‘Premature babies had reduced heart volumes and function compared to those born at term. But the damage was less in those who had been exclusively breastfed than those fed formula milk.’
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For those who had received a combination of feeding methods, heart structure and function improved the more they were given. ![twitter](https://images.medindia.net/icons/news/social/twitter.png)
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The researchers looked at 102 adults who had been enrolled in a study of premature babies in 1982 to check how their hearts had developed. They also recruited extra 102 people who were born preterm for comparison.
The study showed that those who had been breastfed had ventricles which were 10 percent larger than bottle-fed babies. The hearts of breastfed babies also beat more strongly.
“Even the best baby formula lacks some of the growth factors, enzymes, and antibodies that breast milk provides to developing babies,” said Dr Adam Lewandowski and colleagues at the Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility.
“These results show that even in people whose premature birth has inevitably affected their development, breastfeeding may be able to improve heart development.”
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"This research suggests that the benefits also extend to improved development of the heart."
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The new results were published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Source-Medindia