Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
Mouse Models of Periventricular Leukomalacia
Published on: May 18, 2010
Early lipid supply and neurological development at one year in very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants
Sergio Eleni dit Trolli1, Elsa Kermorvant-Duchemin, Catherine Huon
1APHP, Saint-Vincent de Paul-Cochin hospital, Paris, France.
Insights
Early lipid supply in the first two weeks is crucial for the neurological development of very low birth weight preterm infants. This finding highlights the importance of nutritional strategies for improving long-term outcomes in this vulnerable population.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy
- Neuroscience
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- The developing brain of preterm infants is highly susceptible to nutritional deficiencies.
- Early nutrition, particularly lipid supply, may significantly influence neurological development in extremely preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between early nutritional intake (lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, energy) and weight gain in the first 28 days of life.
- To assess the association between these early factors and neurological development at one year corrected age in preterm infants (gestational age ≤ 28 weeks).
Main Methods:
- A mono-centric cohort study involving 48 preterm infants (gestational age ≤ 28 weeks).
- Longitudinal follow-up until one year corrected age, with neurological assessment using the Brunet-Lézine test.
- Analysis of cumulative nutrient intake and weight gain during the first 28 days of life.
Main Results:
- A significant correlation was observed between the developmental quotient (DQ) at one year corrected age and cumulative energy and lipid intake at 14 days.
- Weight gain and days to reach minimum weight in the first 28 days also correlated with DQ.
- Multivariate analysis confirmed that only cumulative lipid intake at 14 days remained a significant predictor of DQ at one year.
Conclusions:
- Early lipid supply within the first two weeks of life is vital for the neurological development of very low birth weight preterm infants.
- These findings underscore the critical role of early nutrition in optimizing neurodevelopmental outcomes for extremely preterm infants.
Background:
The rapid growth of the developing brain during early post-natal life makes it particularly vulnerable to a nutritional deficit. The neurological development of the very low birth weight preterm infant could be related to early lipid supply.
Aims:
To evaluate in preterm infants of gestational age ≤ 28 weeks of amenorrhea (WA) the relations between the neurological development determined at a corrected age of one year using the test of Brunet-Lézine and 1) the cumulative intakes of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and energy during the first 28 days of life and 2) the weight gain in the first 28 days of life.
Materials And Methods:
Study of a mono-centric cohort of 48 premature infants of gestational age ≤ 28 WA consecutively hospitalized and followed longitudinally up to a corrected age of one year.
Results:
In simple univariate analysis, there was a significant correlation between the developmental quotient (DQ) at a corrected age of one year and the cumulative intake of energy and lipids at 14 days of life (p=0.02, p=0.01, respectively), the number of days to reach the minimum weight (p=0.02) and the weight gain from birth to D28 of life (p=0.04). There was no correlation between the DQ and early intake of proteins or carbohydrates. In multivariate analysis, only the association between the DQ at one year of corrected age and the cumulative lipid intake at 14 days of life remained statistically significant (p=0.04).
Conclusion:
Our study demonstrates the importance of early lipid supply during the first two weeks of life for the neurological development at a corrected age of one year of very low birth weight preterm infants.
