Milk-induced hypoalgesia in human newborns

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Pain management
• Pediatric research

Background:

• Newborns often experience pain during procedures like blood collection for phenylketonuria (PKU) screening.
• Effective, non-invasive methods to reduce infant distress are crucial in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of milk and its components in mitigating crying in newborns during and after heel-stick blood collection for PKU testing.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-two newborns received 2 mL of various substances (milk, formula, fat, protein, lactose, sucrose, water) before blood collection.
• Crying duration was objectively measured by blinded scorers during and for three minutes post-procedure.

Main Results:

• Sucrose and Similac significantly reduced crying during the blood collection.
• Sucrose, fat, protein, and Ross Special Formula effectively reduced crying in the recovery period.
• Water and lactose did not demonstrate significant pain-reducing effects.

Conclusions:

• Milk and specific components (sucrose, fat, protein) exhibit antinociceptive properties in human newborns.
• The pain-reducing effects may involve endogenous opioid pathways activated by suckling.
• These findings support the safe, non-invasive use of natural mechanisms to manage newborn crying during painful procedures.