Plasma mineral concentrations in preterm infants fed a nutrient-enriched formula after hospital discharge☆,☆☆,★,★★
Section snippets
METHODS
Preterm and term infants were the subjects of separate randomized trials that ran concurrently. Each trial was designed primarily to determine whether infant development could be improved by the addition of long-chain n-3 or n-6 fatty acids to formula. Because preterm infants fed term infant formula after discharge had a high incidence of biochemical vitamin A deficiency, 2 to avoid the possibility of marginal nutritional status confounding developmental outcomes, both control and experimental
RESULTS
Longitudinal changes in plasma concentrations of K, Ca Mg, Cu, Zn, and Fe are shown in Table III. In both term and preterm infants plasma K generally decreased with increasing age ( p <0.0001). The plasma K concentration obtained in preterm infants differed from that of term infants ( p <0.009), but this appeared to be due completely to a lower 12-month plasma K concentration in term compared with preterm infants. Mean plasma Ca and Mg concentrations remained constant throughout the study
DISCUSSION
Infant formulas specially designed for the nutrient needs of premature infants contain Zn concentrations of 10 to 12.2 mg/L and are routinely used for in-hospital feeding of preterm infants in the United States. However, preterm formula given only during the hospital stay, with the feeding of standard formula after hospital discharge, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 is not adequate to prevent a decline in plasma Zn levels. 14, 15, 16 Our data demonstrate that preterm infants fed preterm formula for 2 to 3
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Cited by (0)
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From the Department of Pediatrics and The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tennessee, Memphis, and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing
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Supported by grants from the National Eye Institute (R01 EY08770), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01-HD 31329), the National Center for Research Resources (M01 RR00211) and a gift from Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio.
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Reprint requests: Susan E. Carlson, PhD, Newborn Center, Room 201, 853 Jefferson Ave., Memphis, TN 38163.
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0022-3476/95/$3.00 + 0 9/23/62437