Oh, the Thrilling World of Baby Milk Trials

Brace yourselves, folks, for the groundbreaking revelation that’s about to shake the very foundations of neonatal nutrition… or, you know, not. In the red corner, we have unfortified human milk (UHM), au naturel, just like Mother Nature intended. In the blue corner, there’s the fortified human milk (FHM), because who doesn’t love a good power-up? And in the… let’s say, green corner, the wildcard: unfortified MM with a side of preterm formula (PTF). It’s like a dietary MMA for preemies!

Now, let’s talk about the riveting world of opt-out consent. A whopping 38% of parents said “no thanks” to this milk mania right out of the gate. And another 6% tapped out after the bell rang. But for the brave souls who stayed, they got to enjoy the full experience of… well, not much difference at all, really.

After all the pomp and circumstance, the weigh-ins showed a couple of lightweights in the slow growth department, but nothing to write home about. And when it came to the jelly rolls (we’re talking total adipose tissue volume, folks), the scales didn’t tip in anyone’s favor. That’s right, no significant chub difference between the groups at term or six weeks after. Who would’ve guessed?

So, what’s the takeaway from this milkshake mixer? Randomizing babies to different milk diets is totally cool with parents and docs, as long as you don’t ask them first. Growth seems safe, and body composition is a tie across the board. And with that, the researchers are ready to up the ante and go for the big leagues with a larger RCT. Because if at first you don’t find a difference, trial, trial again!