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Effects of medium- and long-chain triglycerides on sleep and thermoregulatory processes in neonates
F Telliez1, V Bach, G Dewasmes
1Laboratoire des Techniques d'Explorations Fonctionnelles, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France.
Insights
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) improve neonate body temperature regulation and sleep, especially in cooler environments. This rapid energy source enhances nutritional efficiency and body mass gain in premature infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal nutrition
- Thermoregulation
- Sleep physiology
Background:
- Neonatal sleep and temperature regulation are crucial for energy metabolism but often overlooked in nutritional assessments.
- Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are used for premature infants due to their rapid energy provision and easy assimilation.
- The thermic effect of MCT on neonatal thermoregulation and sleep remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the influence of varying MCT content in feeding formulas on neonatal sleep and thermoregulation.
- To investigate the impact of MCT on neonates under different thermal conditions.
Main Methods:
- Infants were fed three formulas with differing MCT concentrations until desired intake was achieved.
- Body temperature, sleep patterns, and growth rates were monitored under thermal equilibrium and cool environments.
Main Results:
- MCT-fed neonates exhibited higher body temperatures compared to non-MCT groups.
- In cooler conditions, MCT improved thermoregulation, reducing vulnerability.
- Total sleep time was reduced in non-MCT groups at thermal equilibrium, with a shift towards quiet sleep, suggesting energy conservation.
Conclusions:
- MCT supplementation positively impacts neonatal thermoregulation and sleep processes.
- The thermic effect of MCT aids in maintaining body temperature, particularly in cooler environments.
- MCT enhances nutritional efficiency, leading to improved body mass gain without compromising growth in neonates.
Abstract:
Sleep processes and body temperature regulation of neonates are never taken into account in the evaluation of nutrients, although these functions are implicated in the regulation of energy metabolism and are influenced by the nutritional state and its metabolic consequences. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are currently used in paediatric units during the first weeks of because they are considered to be a rapid source of energy, easy to assimilate for growing premature infants, whose digestive function is immature. However, no study has described the thermic effect of these nutrients on body temperature regulation and sleep. The present study aimed at analysing the influence of three feeding formulas with different content of MCT on sleep processes and on thermoregulation of neonates fed until desired intake was reached. Whatever the thermal conditions (thermal equilibrium or cool environment), the MCT-fed groups had higher body temperatures and than groups fed without MCT, for whom total sleep time was reduced at thermal equilibrium. In this group, the large amount of quiet sleep seems to favour a strategy of conserving energy. Higher energy expenditure in MCT-fed groups is not harmful to growth rate since nutritional efficiency is even better reflected by a larger body mass gain. The thermic effect of MCT contributes to lessening the vulnerability of neonates exposed to low incubator temperatures.