This may enable the infants to more quickly tolerate regular feedings, a prerequisite for release from the hospital. Preliminary findings of a study at the Agricultural Research Service , based on the progress of 70 premature infants weighing less than 2.5 pounds at birth, indicate that early feedings stimulate production of lactase.
Lactase is the enzyme that digests the major milk sugar, lactose.
But this ongoing study strongly suggests that the advantages of early feedings outweigh the disadvantages. Half the infants were introduced to less than one-quarter cup of breast milk or formula each day beginning only four days after birth. The other half received only IV feedings for two weeks. A test administered three times during their first month showed that the early feeding group had significantly higher lactase activity for the first three weeks.