Early and adequate nutritional support is critical to achieve appropriate rates of weight gain
which are almost twice that of a term infant. The 96th Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop was
focused on the latest scientific knowledge in the area of neonatal care in preterm and
low-birth-weight infants including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and their potential
impact on the health of neonates. This 3-session workshop facilitated interactions between
international experts. The first session chaired by Prof. Nick Embleton looked at optimizing
feeding nutrition and growth in the neonatal intensive care unit and after discharge. Prof.
Ferdinand Haschke chaired the second session which looked at the personalized nutrition of
preterm infants. The third session chaired by Lars Bode looked at the role of HMOs and the
microbiome in the health of term and very-low-birth-weight infants. The key issues provided by
this 3-day workshop offer valuable insights for healthcare providers policy makers and
researchers on the crucial role of proper nutrition for adequate growth and consequent
development of preterm infants.
