Smell and taste with tube feeding to improve nutrition in very preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial.

This trial investigated the following question: if preterm born babies do regularly smell and taste their milk when they are fed through a tube in their stomach compared with routine care, do they grow better? Findings: A total of 396 preterm born babies receive one of either: regular exposure to the smell and taste of their milk with tube feeding compared with routine care. Smell and tast of their milk did not improve their weight at discharge. However, smell and taste of milk may improve head size and length at 36 weeks of gestational age but not at discharge. This means that although smell and taste of milk with tube feeding did not improve weight at discharge, the combination remains a simple and low-cost intervention without adverse effects and some potential benefits.