Nutrition in the neonate

Good nutrition is of great importance for all living individuals, especially for the rapidly growing newborn infant. Nutrition is needed not only for the maintenance of physiologic functions but also for growth. Despite extensive research in this field, numerous questions remain regarding the nutrition of the term as well as the preterm infant. It should be stressed that the requirements of term infants are different from those of preterm infants, and a further distinction has to be made between very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight infants. In this review, the following issues are addressed: breastfeeding versus formula feeding, the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids, nutrition of the infant with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and parenteral nutrition.