Gastric electrical activity in normal neonates during the first year of life: effect of feeding with breast milk and formula.

Background: To evaluate the effect of feeding with milk on the gastrointestinal tract, we studied gastric electrical activity in 27 healthy fullterm newborns (15 formula-fed newborns and 12 breast-fed newborns) during the first 6 months of life.

Methods: Three-hour electrogastrography (EGG) recordings were performed, using portable equipment, from the third to fifth day after birth until 6 months, at 3-month intervals. The EGG parameters were calculated as raw and integrated data, the latter as AUC of the whole postprandial period.