Fast food versus slow food in very and extremely low‐birthweight infants: speed of feeds is a little more than a gut feeling

What is the evidence on how to feed preterm infants?

“…The most important outcome, when discussing nutrition and feeding regimes, is the growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes that are achieved. Using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, the paper by Meyer et al (7) shows similar outcomes when compared to German references.…”

“…Using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, the paper by Meyer et al. shows similar outcomes when compared to German references.…”

“…Their feeding regime includes a set of 'substrategies' to successfully transfer extremely low-birthweight infants from total parenteral nutrition to total enteral feeding. Thus, it is hard to determine whether the slower increment rate of feeding volumes was the main reason for the remarkably low incidence of NEC reported in their paper (7).…”

“…In the current issue of Acta Paediatrica, Meyer et al. present their local feeding strategy as a different view. Their aim was to stimulate the discussion about feeding regimes in preterm infants, focusing on the interplay between optimal growth and development and the severe complications of NEC that result in short‐term and long‐term sequelae in these infants.…”

Highlights in this issue

“…Feeding strategies for low‐birthweight infants is a delicate balance between optimal growth and minimising the risk of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Sascha Meyer et al discuss their local feeding strategies and explain how a more careful feeding regime, based on a slow increment, resulted in a remarkably low incidence of NEC . In the accompanying editorial, Dirk Wackernagel discusses the current evidence on how to feed preterm infants .…”