Thickening human milk: the effect of time, temperature, and thickener for infants with dysphagia

Conclusion: Time, temperature, and thickening agents have a significant impact on the thickness level when added to expressed human milk. Certain foods such as fruit purees, squash, yogurt, and raw oatmeal may effectively thicken human milk, and the IDDSI flow test can assess if the mixture maintains a similar thickness level over time. These foods could be considered for older infants with dysphagia. When thickening human milk for infants with dysphagia, close physician and clinician monitoring is recommended given the potential positive and/or negative consequences on oral feeding and overall health.What is Known:• Thin liquids can be challenging for infants with dysphagia to safely swallow Human milk is difficult to thicken.What is New:• Pureed fruits and pureed squash thicken human milk effectively at various temperatures and maintain thickness level over 20 minutes.• Pureed fruits and pureed squash thicken human milk effectively at various temperatures and maintain thickness level over 20 Raw oatmeal cereal either thins over time or thickens over time depending on the temperature of the base liquid.
Source: European Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research