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Growth and nutrition after discharge

Mary S Fewtrell1

  • 1MRC Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK. m.fewtrell@ich.ucl.ac.uk

Seminars in Neonatology : SN
|March 6, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Nutrient-enriched diets after hospital discharge improve growth in preterm infants, especially boys. Further research is needed on long-term effects and breastfed infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal nutrition
  • Pediatric growth and development

Background:

  • Preterm infants often experience growth deficits post-discharge.
  • Post-discharge nutrition strategies are under-researched.
  • Current feeding practices may not optimize long-term outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of post-discharge nutrition on preterm infant growth.
  • To compare nutrient-enriched formulas with standard term formulas.
  • To investigate the effects of breastfeeding versus formula feeding post-discharge.

Main Methods:

  • Review of randomized controlled trials on post-discharge feeding interventions.
  • Comparison of growth parameters (weight, length, bone mass) between different feeding groups.
  • Analysis of long-term growth trajectories and health outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Nutrient-enriched diets (preterm or post-discharge formulas) promote significant growth benefits compared to term formula.
  • Growth advantages were more pronounced in boys and persisted beyond the intervention.
  • Breastfed preterm infants showed slower weight and length gain and lower bone mass than formula-fed infants.

Conclusions:

  • The post-discharge period is critical for influencing preterm infant growth trajectories.
  • Nutritional supplementation with enriched formulas can enhance growth outcomes.
  • Further research is essential to understand long-term effects and optimize nutrition for breastfed preterm infants and during the introduction of solids.

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