Preterm infant formulas with glucose polymers and reduced lactose content increase the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (opens in new tab)

After more than 70 years of research, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains the most serious gastrointestinal disease among preterm infants and a leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and disability. Although causes of NEC are multifactorial, this contribution reviews the causal relationship between commercial preterm formulas (PTF) and NEC. The responses of the immature preterm intestine to PTF and the relationship to NEC have been extensively investigated using animal models and in human...