DUARTE, Calif., June 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prolacta Bioscience®, the world’s leading hospital provider of 100% human milk-based nutritional products, announced today the results of a long-term pilot study showing that premature infants fed an exclusive human milk diet1 (EHMD) including Prolacta’s fortifiers reached the same healthy growth and developmental milestones by age 2 that are seen in full-term infants. The study was published in the May 2020 issue of Breastfeeding Medicine.
Authored by Erynn M. Bergner, M.D., and colleagues, the new study2 is the first to concurrently evaluate long-term neurodevelopmental, growth, and body composition outcomes of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Researchers found:
- Preterm infants receiving Prolacta’s 100% human milk-based fortifiers returned to birth z-scores for weight, length, and head circumference by age 2.
- A similar percentage of body fat and lean mass in preterm infants at age 2, compared to matched term controls, with adequate bone mineralization.
- Not a single case of severe cognitive developmental delay using a Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III (BSID-III) cutoff score of <70 at 18 to 22 months corrected age (CA).
“As we continue to optimize nutritional practices in the NICU and investigate an entirely human milk-based approach for the diets of preterm infants, it is important to follow the potential impact of these changes on health and development long-term,” Dr. Bergner wrote.
Bergner et al2 evaluated the post-discharge growth, body composition, and neurodevelopmental outcomes of a cohort of infants ≤1,250 g birth weight who received Prolacta’s fortifiers as part of an EHMD in the NICU. The infants were studied prospectively at two outpatient visits: 12 to 15 and 18 to 22 months (CA). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and BSID-III were performed at 18 to 22 months (CA).
“The Bergner study demonstrates what we’ve long suspected – that the numerous health benefits we see in the NICU with Prolacta products as part of an Exclusive Human Milk Diet translate into longer-term neurodevelopmental and metabolic health outcomes,” said Melinda Elliott, chief medical officer for Prolacta Bioscience.
About Prolacta Bioscience
Prolacta Bioscience® Inc. is a privately held life sciences company dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk.® Prolacta is the world’s leading hospital provider of 100% human milk-based nutritional products, which have reduced complications and improved the health of more than 63,000 extremely premature infants globally. Prolacta is also exploring the therapeutic potential of human milk across a wide spectrum of human diseases, including applications for infants requiring surgery for congenital cardiac and gastrointestinal disorders. Operating the world’s first pharmaceutical-grade human milk processing facilities, Prolacta leads the industry with the highest quality and safety standards for the screening and testing of donor milk. Prolacta is a global company with headquarters in Duarte, California, and can be found online at prolacta.com, on Twitter at @prolacta, on Instagram at @prolacta_bioscience, on Facebook at facebook.com/prolacta, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/prolacta-bioscience/.
Media Contact:
Loren Kosmont
Lkosmont@prolacta.com
310-721-9444
References
- An exclusive human milk diet (EHMD) is achieved when 100% of the protein, fat and carbohydrates in an infant’s diet are derived from human milk. This diet includes a human milk-based human milk fortifier.
- Bergner EM, Shypailo R, Visuthranukul C, et al. Growth, body composition, and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years among preterm infants fed an exclusive human milk diet in the neonatal intensive care unit: a pilot study. Breastfeed Med. 2020. 15(5):304-311. doi:10.1089/bfm.2019.0210