Skeletal development in premature infants: a review of bone physiology beyond nutritional aspects.

Bone development is usually seen as a process of bone mineral accretion or increase in bone mass, and treatment of bone disorders usually consists of attempts to maximise bone mass accumulation by nutritional means only. However, from a functional perspective, bones should not be as heavy as possible, but rather as stable as necessary. It is therefore important to create conditions that stimulate bones to become more stable.