Daily patterns of melatonin and cortisol in breast milk from very premature babies

Human milk contains bioactive compounds and hormones that may be crucial for infant neuro- and circadian development.

• Healthy term-born infants benefit from natural time-of-day cues through breastfeeding.
• Preterm infants in the NICU often receive pooled expressed milk via tube feeding, which may not provide these cues.
• There is growing interest in how nutrition timing (chrononutrition) can influence circadian rhythms in preterm infants.
• Diurnal hormonal rhythms in preterm human milk are not well understood and may play a role in circadian development.

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