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Updated: Jul 11, 2025

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The Influence of Early Nutrition on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Preterm Infants

Rita C Silveira1, Andrea L Corso1, Renato S Procianoy1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Newborn Section, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 3452925, RS, Brazil.

Nutrients
|November 14, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Optimizing nutrition is vital for premature infants

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal nutrition and developmental neuroscience.
  • Investigating the gut-brain axis in preterm infants.

Background:

  • Premature infants have unique nutritional needs due to limited reserves and high energy demands.
  • Nutritional deficits can significantly impact the development of preterm infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the relationship between nutrition and neurodevelopment in premature infants.
  • To emphasize the necessity of personalized nutrition for optimal brain development in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review using PubMed and MeSH with keywords: preterm, early nutrition, macronutrients, micronutrients, human milk, human milk oligosaccharides, probiotics, and neurodevelopment.
  • Analysis of recent articles focusing on nutrient roles and gut-brain axis interactions.

Main Results:

  • Specific macronutrients (amino acids, glucose, lipids) and micronutrients are crucial for neurodevelopment.
  • Early, aggressive nutrition, including DHA, supports brain maturation.
  • Human milk, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and probiotics positively influence neurodevelopment via the gut-brain axis.

Conclusions:

  • Individualized nutritional strategies are essential for improving neurodevelopment in premature infants.
  • Comprehensive nutrient intake is key for supporting brain growth and function.
  • Human milk is considered the optimal nutrition source for preterm infants.

Keywords:
early nutritionhuman milkhuman milk oligosaccharidesmacronutrientsmicronutrientspretermprobiotics

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