The more breast
milk premature babies are fed while in neonatal intensive care, the greater
the level of brain development, a study suggests. The cerebral
cortex – the part of the brain for learning and thinking – is usually
underdeveloped in premature babies, but in infants who consumed high levels of
breast milk it quickly resembled those of babies born to term. Experts say
that feeding premature babies with breast milk could help reduce the
developmental and learning problems associated with preterm birth. Every year, 15
million children worldwide are born pre-term - before 37 weeks - and it is
still the biggest cause of death and disability among newborn babies. Children who
are born early are more likely to develop problems that affect their entire
lives such as learning difficulties, problems with their sight and hearing,
behavioural issues and cerebral palsy. Researchers
from University of Edinburgh scanned the brains of 212 babies who were part
of the Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort, a study which monitors the progress
of premature babies from birth to adulthood. The group
included 135 babies who were born before 32 weeks of pregnancy and 77 who
were born to term. Researchers collected information about how premature
babies were fed during neonatal intensive care and brain scans for all babies
were performed around 40 weeks from conception. Brain scans
revealed that babies who received higher amounts of breast milk – from their
mother or a donor - had a more mature cerebral cortex compared with those who
received less, similar to the scans of babies born to term. Breast milk
contains many elements – such as a favourable balance of fats, proteins and
minerals, and a range of other beneficial factors that help babies' immunity
– that could support brain development, experts say. Further research is
needed to understand their exact role in allowing premature babies’ brains to
catch up with the development seen in term babies. The findings
have been published in the Annals of Neurology: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.26559. The work was
funded by Theirworld and took place at the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory
in the Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health at the
University of Edinburgh and the Simpson’s Centre for Reproductive Health at
the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. The Jennifer
Brown Research Laboratory was set up in 2004 at the University of Edinburgh
as a pioneering project of Theirworld, the global children's charity. It
works to better identify women at risk of premature birth, explore the
development of treatments to prevent early labour and research how to better
help newborn babies in the first hours and days after birth. Dr Gemma
Sullivan, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Neonatal Neuroscience at the University
of Edinburgh’s MRC Centre for Reproductive Health and a Consultant
Neonatologist at NHS Lothian, said: “Our findings suggest that brain
development in the weeks after preterm birth is improved in babies who
receive greater amounts of breast milk. Mothers of preterm babies should be
supported to express breast milk, if they are able to, whilst their baby is
in the neonatal unit as this may offer the best chance of healthy brain
development.” Sarah Brown,
Chair of Theirworld, said: “The research and discoveries from the Theirworld
Edinburgh Birth Cohort are truly remarkable. This world-first study is
equipping scientists and doctors with valuable information that is expanding
the frontiers of medical science and improving the life chances of premature
babies. "I will
forever be grateful to the families participating in the study who are
dedicated to sharing information about their own babies, helping to give
other premature babies the best start in life." |
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