Long-term benefits of exclusive human milk diet in small for gestational age neonates: a systematic review of the literature.
Federica PaganoEmanuele GaetaFrancesca MorlinoMaria Teresa RiccioMaurizio GiordanoDe Bernardo GiuseppePublished in: Italian journal of pediatrics (2024)
Evidence about feeding practices' consequences in small for gestational age newborns is not well established because they are less likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding than other newborns. Our aim was to study current knowledge about the benefits of exclusive human milk diet after 2 years of age in small for gestational age newborns. A systematic review of the literature was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline criteria. Pubmed and Scopus were searched for studies published from databases inception until June 2, 2023. Included articles were analysed and synthesised. Risk of bias and level of evidence assessments were performed. They were enrolled small for gestational age newborns fed by breastfeeding, breast milk or donor milk. The systematic review included 9 articles which were related to 4 health domains: neurodevelopment, cardiovascular, somatic growth and bone mineralization and atopy. Extracted data support a beneficial effect of breastfeeding on these outcomes. Better quality of evidence and longer follow-up are needed.
Keyphrases
- gestational age
- meta analyses
- human milk
- low birth weight
- preterm birth
- systematic review
- preterm infants
- birth weight
- healthcare
- randomized controlled trial
- physical activity
- primary care
- public health
- mental health
- weight loss
- emergency department
- electronic health record
- big data
- insulin resistance
- machine learning
- adipose tissue
- type diabetes
- human health
- gene expression
- postmenopausal women
- copy number
- climate change