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Nutrient-enriched formula versus standard term formula for preterm infants following hospital discharge
Insights
Feeding preterm infants nutrient-enriched formula after hospital discharge did not significantly improve growth or development. Some studies showed lower weights and lengths at six months, with no long-term differences observed up to 18 months.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal nutrition
- Pediatric development
- Growth monitoring
Background:
- Preterm infants often experience growth restriction post-hospital discharge.
- Nutrient-enriched formulas may promote catch-up growth and enhance development in these infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of nutrient-enriched formula versus standard term formula on the growth and development of preterm infants after hospital discharge.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- Searches conducted across multiple databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL.
- Data extraction and quality assessment performed by two independent reviewers.
Main Results:
- Seven trials involving 631 infants were included, generally of good quality.
- Limited evidence suggests nutrient-enriched formula does not significantly affect growth or development.
- Some trials indicated lower weights, lengths, and head circumferences at six months post-term with enriched formulas, but no significant differences at 12-18 months.
Conclusions:
- Current data do not strongly support the use of nutrient-enriched formula for improving growth or development in preterm infants up to 18 months post-term.
- Further research is needed to assess long-term outcomes in later childhood.
Background:
Preterm infants are often growth-restricted at hospital discharge. Feeding infants after hospital discharge with nutrient-enriched formula rather than standard term formula might facilitate "catch-up" growth and improve development.
Objectives:
To determine the effect of feeding nutrient-enriched formula compared with standard term formula on growth and development for preterm infants following hospital discharge.
Search Strategy:
The standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group were used. This included searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2007), MEDLINE (1966 - May 2007), EMBASE (1980 - May 2007), CINAHL (1982 - May 2007), conference proceedings, and previous reviews.
Selection Criteria:
Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared the effect of feeding preterm infants following hospital discharge with nutrient-enriched formula compared with standard term formula.
Data Collection And Analysis:
Data was extracted using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group, with separate evaluation of trial quality and data extraction by two authors, and synthesis of data using weighted mean difference and a fixed effects model for meta-analysis.
Main Results:
Seven trials were found that were eligible for inclusion. These recruited a total of 631 infants and were generally of good methodological quality. The trials found little evidence that feeding with nutrient-enriched formula milk affected growth and development. Because of differences in the way individual trials measured and presented outcomes, data synthesis was limited. Growth data from two trials found that, at six months post-term, infants fed with nutrient-enriched formula had statistically significantly lower weights [weighted mean difference: -601 (95% confidence interval -1028, -174) grams], lengths [-18.8 (-30.0, -7.6) millimetres], and head circumferences [-10.2 ( -18.0, -2.4) millimetres], than infants fed standard term formula. At 12 to 18 months post-term, meta-analyses of data from three trials did not find any statistically significant differences in growth parameters. However, examination of these meta-analyses demonstrated statistical heterogeneity. Meta-analyses of data from two trials did not reveal a statistically significant difference in Bayley Mental Development or Psychomotor Development Indices. There are not yet any data on growth or development through later childhood.
Authors' Conclusions:
The available data do not provide strong evidence that feeding preterm infants following hospital discharge with nutrient-enriched formula compared with standard term formula affects growth rates or development up to 18 months post-term.
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