Effectiveness of Feeding Supplementation in Preterm Infants: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Abstract

BackgroundPreterm infants have higher nutrition needs than term infants. The effectiveness of various feeding supplementation was assessed by the improvement of health outcomes in single specific systematic reviews (SRs). The aim of this review is to summarise these SRs to provide comprehensive evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions for preterm infants. MethodsA literature search was conducted in the PUBMED, EMBASE, Science Direct, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and Wiley online library. SR selection followed clear inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction was performed by using the pre-designed tables and quality assessment was done by the AMSTAR tool. ResultsSeventeen SRs were included in the review. Fifteen kinds of feeding supplementation were reported in the SRs. The effectiveness of the interventions was defined as positive, having no impact, or inconclusive. Lactoferrin, probiotic, prebiotic, vitamin D, protein, and arginine were concluded to be positive; inositol, iodine, fat, glutamine, and long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) were concluded to have no impact; results for prebiotic (for prevention of hyperbilirubinaemia), carbohydrate, multi-nutrient, taurine, calcium, and phosphorus were inconclusive. All the SRs included were graded as being of high quality. ConclusionsSupplements with positive effects on health improvement were considerable to add to the feeding of preterm infants. More well-designed large RCTs are still needed to address the unsolved problems in the SRs concluded as having no impact or where the results were inconclusive.