I am in no way an expert on feeding premature babies - except as the
grandmother of a 22-month-old who was born prematurely (and who never had
anything but his mother's milk). But it seems to me that when people say
that premature babies given supplements grow "better" they really mean "gain
weigh more quickly." I would question whether that really means "better."

I have seen at least two studies (references not handy) showing that
premature babies who gained weight more quickly in the early months were
more likely to be obese and have related health problems such as high blood
pressure in childhood and adulthood. Since obesity has now emerged as a
major health problem in the western world, why are we pushing to have these
babies gain quickly? Of course it is important for these babies to grow and
be healthy - but that is NOT the same as gaining the maximum amount of
weight in the shortest amount of time.

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario

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