THIS investigation was designed to determine to what extent weight gain and certain other metabolic and biochemical parameters were affected in premature infants when such infants at the District of Columbia General Hospital were fed formulas of different caloric and osmolar content. A variety of feeding practices exist in premature nurseries. Various formulas varying from human milk to formula of 20 calories per oz consisting of mixtures of partially skimmed milk,1 to concentrated proprietary formulas of 34 calories per oz2 have been recommended.
Methods
In order to determine the effects of formulas of different composition, single formulas were fed to three groups. A Latin Square design3 was employed in selecting the method of feeding to be used to feed three other groups of premature infants. The three formulas were proprietary products of a single manufacturer. They were prepared in such a way as to be of different