Glucose polymer tolerance in premature infants

Area of Science:

• Neonatal nutrition
• Pediatric gastroenterology
• Infant metabolism

Background:

• Premature infant formulas often contain glucose polymers (GP) as a carbohydrate source.
• Understanding carbohydrate digestion and absorption is crucial for infant nutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the digestion and absorption of glucose polymers (GP) versus lactose in healthy premature infants.
• To investigate the glycemic and insulinemic responses to GP and lactose in this population.

Main Methods:

• A tolerance test comparing glucose polymer (GP) and lactose was conducted on 11 healthy premature infants.
• Measurements included total plasma reducing substances (TPRS), plasma insulin (PI), and plasma glucose at baseline and post-carbohydrate meal.
• Data were collected at 30, 60, and 120 minutes after oral carbohydrate intake.

Main Results:

• Both lactose and GP significantly increased TPRS at 30 and 60 minutes, eliciting similar glycemic responses.
• Glucose polymer (GP) demonstrated a significantly higher plasma insulin (PI) response compared to lactose.
• The insulin response to GP was notable both as the area under the PI response curve and the PI/TPRS ratio.

Conclusions:

• Glucose polymers (GP) and lactose result in comparable glycemic responses in premature infants.
• GP appears to stimulate insulin secretion more robustly than lactose.
• The underlying physiological mechanism for this differential insulin response remains to be elucidated.