Background: Enteral nutrition supply to preterm infants requires feeding through a feeding tube. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in macronutrient composition of human milk (HM) while passing through a gastric feeding tube.
Methods: Simulated real-life practice tube feeding was performed by using an infusion pump connected to a feeding tube. A human milk analyzer was used to compare the pre infusion and post infusion macronutrient contents of HM.
Result: There was a significant decrease in fat (from 4.06 ± 0.6 g/100 ml to 3.95 ± 0.6 g/100 ml), carbohydrates (from 7.51 ± 0.4 g/100 ml to 7.33 ± 0.5 g/100 ml), and energy content (from 70.77 ± 5.4 kcal/100 ml to 69.72 ± 0.5 kcal/100 ml) after passing through the feeding tube (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: A simulated real-life bolus tube feeding model demonstrated small but significant decreases in fat, carbohydrate, and energy content. The biological significance of our results to the very low birth weight infants should be further studied.