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Additional Protein Fortification Is Necessary in Extremely Low-Birth-Weight Infants Fed Human Milk

Jean-Charles Picaud1, Nellie Houeto, Rachel Buffin

  • 1*Service de Neonatologie, Hôpital de la Croix Rousse, Lyon†Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine Rhône-Alpes, Hôpital Lyon Sud, Pierre Bénite‡Faculte de Médecine Lyon Sud Charles Merieux, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon§Rhone-Alpes Regional Human Milk Bank, Hôpital de la Croix Rousse, Lyon, France.

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|February 10, 2016
PubMed

Insights

About one-third of extremely low-birth-weight infants need extra protein to support growth. This protein supplementation improved weight gain and increased length and head circumference, aiding development.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Nutrition
  • Pediatric Growth and Development

Background:

  • Extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants often have suboptimal growth due to high nutritional demands.
  • Standard fortification may not meet the specific protein requirements for adequate weight gain in ELBW infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the proportion of ELBW infants requiring additional protein intake beyond standard fortification.
  • To assess the impact of additional protein fortification on growth parameters in ELBW infants.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 152 extremely low-birth-weight infants.
  • Comparison of growth metrics (weight, length, head circumference) between infants receiving standard fortification versus those receiving additional protein supplementation.

Main Results:

  • 32.2% (49/152) of ELBW infants required additional protein intake.
  • Additional protein fortification led to a significant increase in length-for-age z scores (P < 0.001).
  • Head circumference-for-age z scores also showed a significant increase with additional protein (P = 0.02).

Conclusions:

  • A substantial proportion of ELBW infants benefit from enhanced protein fortification.
  • Supplemental protein is crucial for optimizing linear growth and head circumference in ELBW infants.
  • Individualized nutritional strategies may be necessary for ELBW infants to achieve optimal growth outcomes.

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