Gut microbiota development in very preterm infants following fortification of human milk

Abstract

Early life is a key period for gut microbiota (GM) establishment, where enteral feeding plays a significant role. This is also the case for infants born preterm, who, due to their immature gut, are at a high risk of developing GM dysbiosis-related diseases. Human milk is the optimal feed for preterm infants, but it requires fortification to reach adequate levels of especially protein. Only a few studies have investigated the impact of fortifiers on GM development in preterm infants. Here, we demonstrate that two different bovine milk-based fortifiers, bovine colostrum and a conventional fortifier based on mature bovine milk, exhibit limited effects on the microbial community structure of very preterm infants. These findings suggest that although great care in terms of optimally maturing the preterm infant GM should be taken, the choice of fortifier only has limited impact. In clinical practice, the choice of fortifier can thus be fully focussed on optimizing preterm infant nutrition. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03537365 .