Bone mineralization in former very low birth weight infants fed either human milk or commercial formula.

The bone mineral status of former very low birth weight infants previously fed fortified human milk was evaluated during the posthospitalization period. Anthropometric measurements, bone mineral content, bone width, serum calcium, phosphorus, and albumin concentrations, and alkaline phosphatase activity were evaluated at 10, 16, and 25 postnatal weeks. Infants were fed either commercial formula or unfortified human milk after their hospital discharge. At 16 and 25 weeks postnatally, human milk-fed infants (group HM) had lower bone mineral content (P less than 0.01), bone mineral content/bone width ratio (p less than 0.01), serum phosphorus concentration (p less than 0.03), and higher alkaline phosphatase activity (p less than 0.01) than commercial formula-fed infants (group CM). Growth was similar in both groups. Bone mineral content was correlated positively to serum phosphorus (r = 0.52, p less than 0.05) and inversely to alkaline phosphatase activity (r = -0.63, p less than 0.01) at 25 weeks postnatally. The use of serum biochemical markers, however, could account for only 44% of the variability in bone mineral content. The exclusive feeding of human milk to very low birth weight infants after hospital discharge may place them at risk for mineral deficiencies.