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Preterm Infants on Early Solid Foods and Neurodevelopmental Outcome-A Secondary Outcome Analysis of a Randomized
Margarita Thanhaeuser1, Fabian Eibensteiner1, Melanie Gsoellpointner2
1Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
Insights
Introducing solid foods early or late to very low birth weight infants did not impact neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study found no significant differences in cognitive development based on complementary feeding timing.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Developmental pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- No evidence-based guidelines exist for introducing solid foods to preterm infants.
- Early development and neurocognitive outcomes in preterm infants are critical areas of research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of early versus late introduction of solid foods on neurodevelopmental outcomes in very low birth weight infants.
- To provide data to inform potential future recommendations on complementary feeding for preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of a prospective trial comparing early (10-12 weeks corrected age) and late (16-18 weeks corrected age) complementary feeding.
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes assessed using Bayley Scales at 1 and 2 years corrected age, and 3 years 4 months uncorrected age.
- Linear mixed-effects model used, controlling for gestational age, sex, nutrition, parental education, and intraventricular hemorrhage.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in neurodevelopmental outcomes were observed between the early and late complementary feeding groups.
- The timing of solid food introduction did not affect cognitive development at any assessed timepoint.
Conclusions:
- The age of solid food introduction does not appear to influence neurodevelopmental outcomes in very low birth weight infants.
- Further research may be needed to establish optimal feeding guidelines for this vulnerable population.
Abstract:
There are no evidence-based recommendations regarding the introduction of solid foods in preterm infants. The objective of this study was to investigate whether age at the introduction of solid foods affects neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study focuses on analyzing secondary outcomes from a prospective trial involving very low birth weight infants who were randomly assigned to either an early (10-12th week corrected age) or a late (16-18th week corrected age) complementary feeding group. The study evaluated neurodevelopmental outcomes at one and two years of corrected age, as well as at three years and four months of uncorrected age by utilizing Bayley scales. In total, 89 infants were assigned to the early and 88 infants to the late group, all with a mean gestational age of 27 + 1 weeks. A linear mixed-effects model was used to compare neurodevelopmental outcomes across the study groups, taking into account variables such as gestational age at birth, sex, nutrition at discharge, parents' highest education level, and high-grade intraventricular hemorrhage. The analysis did not reveal any significant differences between the groups. The timepoint of the introduction of solid foods had no impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes at one and two years of corrected age, and at three years and four months of uncorrected age.
