Early diet in preterm babies and developmental status at 18 months

Early and aggressive nutritional strategy (parenteral and enteral) decreases postnatal growth failure in very low birth weight infants

“…25 Although the consequences of this early retardation in growth are not completely known, there is concern that it might contribute to long-term deleterious effects, including short stature and lower developmental indices. 1,19 Although early administration of only 1-1.5 g/kg/day of amino acids parenterally can minimize or prevent the loss of body protein stores, significantly higher intakes are needed to promote growth and prevent increased deficits. [26][27][28][29] It has been estimated that, to attain intrauterine rates of protein deposition, around 4 g/kg/day of amino-acid intake may be required in the smallest VLBW infants.…”

“…1 This is the phase in which the nutritional requirements for an adequate growth are greater than at any other time in life. The consequences of insufficient nutrition in this critical period have yet to be determined with certainty, but there is considerable evidence that early growth failure has long-term negative effects on childhood growth and neurodevelopment, and that these effects probably persist into adulthood.…”

“…The consequences of insufficient nutrition in this critical period have yet to be determined with certainty, but there is considerable evidence that early growth failure has long-term negative effects on childhood growth and neurodevelopment, and that these effects probably persist into adulthood. 1,2 There is abundant reason to hypothesize that the rapid establishment of postnatal nutrition could be essential to attain optimal nutritional support. It is presently recommended that enough nutrients be provided so as to achieve a body composition and growth similar to those of a normal fetus of the same postmenstrual age.…”

The role and potential of sialic acid in human nutrition

“…Infant formulas are the sole source of nutrition for infants who are not breast-fed and differences between them may be important. In a randomised multicenter study (Lucas et al, 1990), preterm infants fed a standard term formula for 1 month performed more poorly at 18 months than those given a nutrient-enriched preterm formula. Those infants given the enriched formula had 15 points higher score than those infants given standard term formula.…”

“…Interpretation is further complicated by associations between breastfeeding, social status and education of parents. Women who make a decision to breastfeed are often better educated with positive health attitudes concerning immunisation and smoking, and may provide a more desirable environment for their young to develop intellectually (Lucas et al, 1990(Lucas et al, , 1992. Statistical adjustment for these associations may not remove the full confounding effect of all these factors.…”