母乳对早产儿脑部发育更有利

Babies born before their due date show better brain development when fed breast milk rather than formula, a study has found.

一项新研究表明，对于早产儿来说，母乳喂养比配方奶粉更有利于大脑的发育。

Experts say that helping mothers to provide breast milk in the weeks after giving birth could improve long-term outcomes for children born pre-term.

专家表示，如果能帮助妈妈们在刚分娩后的几周内催乳，并拿母乳喂养孩子，从长期来看好处多多。

Premature birth has been linked to an increased possibility of problems with learning and thinking skills in later life, which are thought to be linked to alterations in brain development.

在未来的学习和思考中，早产儿的大脑发育很可能受到影响，毕竟我们也知道，学习和思考又是与大脑发育紧密相连的。

Studies have shown that pre-term birth is associated with changes in the part of the brain's structure that helps brain cells to communicate with one another, known as white matter.

研究表明，早产儿的大脑结构可能与正常出生的孩子相比，有一定的变化;而正是这种结构帮助大脑细胞与脑脊髓蛋白质交流。

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied MRI brain scans from 47 babies from a study group known as the Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort.

爱丁堡大学的研究人员研究了47个婴儿的核磁共振脑部扫描，这些婴儿来自一个名为 Theirworld Edinburgh 出生队列。

The babies had been born before 33 weeks gestation and scans took place when they reached term-equivalent age, an average of 40 weeks from conception.

这些婴儿都是在妈妈肚子里呆了33周就出来了，而一般妈妈都是怀胎40周才接生。

The team also collected information about how the infants had been fed while in intensive care—either formula milk or breast milk from either the mother or a donor.

研究小组还调查了婴儿在重症监护期间是靠什么来维系生命的，究竟是母乳，还是配方奶粉。

Babies who exclusively received breast milk for at least three-quarters of the days they spent in hospital showed improved brain connectivity compared with others.

大部分时间都是经由母乳喂养的婴儿，与其他婴儿相比，大脑之间连接更紧密。

The effects were greatest in babies who were fed breast milk for a greater proportion of their time spent in intensive care.

在重症监护期间，那些大部分时间都是母乳喂养的婴儿，受到的影响是最大的。

The study was funded by the charity Theirworld and was carried out in the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory at the University's Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health. It is published in the journal NeuroImage.

这项研究由慈善机构 Theirworld 资助，并在大学医学研究理事会的詹妮弗布朗研究实验室进行。 研究结果已发表在《神经图像》杂志上。

Professor James Boardman, Director of the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Our findings suggest that brain development in the weeks after preterm birth is improved in babies who receive greater amounts of breast milk.

来自爱丁堡大学詹妮弗 · 布朗研究实验室的詹姆斯 · 博德曼教授说:"我们的研究结果表明，在婴儿获得更多的母乳后，在早产后的几周内，大脑发育会得到改善。

"This study highlights the need for more research to understand the role of early life nutrition for improving long-term outcomes for pre-term babies.Mothers of pre-term babies should be supported to provide breast milk while their baby is in neonatal care—if they are able to and if their baby is well enough to receive milk—because this may give their children the best chance of healthy brain development."

目前仅凭这点结果是不具有太强的说服力的，后续应当有更深入的研究，这样我们就能了解早期营养对改善早产儿的大脑发育状况究竟有何长期影响。我们应该提倡早产儿的母亲在新生儿护理期间尽可能多地采取母乳喂养，当然，前提是她们能够提供，这样他们的宝宝能够得到足够的奶水，而这可能给他们的孩子提供健康发育大脑的最佳机会。”

Sarah Brown, President and Trustee of Theirworld, said: "I am so proud of the achievements of the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory. This latest report delivers valuable evidence to support breast milkfeeding for even the tiniest, most vulnerable premature babies, to give them the best start in life.

Theirworld总裁和受托人莎拉 · 布朗说:"我为詹妮弗 · 布朗研究实验室的成就感到骄傲。 这份最新的报告让我们了解到即使是最小的、最脆弱的早产儿，母乳喂养都能让他们有一个更好的开端。

"An immense debt of gratitude is due to the families of the Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort, who are dedicated to sharing information to support their own little ones, and benefit many other premature babies in the future."

当然，我们也要感谢这些婴儿背后的家庭，是他们慷慨奉献、给予了我们实验最大的支持，为造福于未来的早产儿们贡献了自己的力量。”