Source of human milk (mother or donor) is more important than fortifier type (human or bovine) in shaping the preterm infant microbiome.

Summary

A randomised clinical trial in 30 very low birth weight preterm infants compared bovine-derived with human-derived human milk fortifier and their effects on the gut microbiome. Fortifier type did not affect overall microbiome composition, whereas mother's own milk intake was strongly associated with weight gain and with enrichment of Bifidobacterium, Veillonella and Propionibacterium. Oxidative stress markers were unaffected, while faecal calprotectin was higher with human-derived fortifier and lower with greater mother's own milk intake. The authors conclude that milk source matters more than fortifier type in shaping the preterm gut microbiota.

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