Preemies Need Protein In First Days Of Life - Study: Babies Who Are Given More Protein Get Bigger & Stronger Faster

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 12 May 2008 - 8:00 PST

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On average, a baby is born prematurely in this country every minute of every day.* Most of those babies will spend the first few weeks of their lives in the hospital. The key to sending them home healthy may have a lot to do with their diets. A new study finds preemies need protein, and the sooner the better.

Little Aliviah Waters came into the world too soon and too small. Just 1 pound, 10 ounces and a little over 12 inches long, she was barely bigger than a loaf of bread when she was born. But slowly she's getting bigger and better.

"As of yesterday, I believe she's 4 pounds, 1 ounce. So, she's come a long way. She has little chubby cheeks and chubby hands and fingers, so she's come a long way," says Trish Waters, Aliviah's mom.

The weight Aliviah is gaining may be crucial to her health - giving her more strength and bolstering her immune system. And a new study shows one of the best ways to put weight on a baby is to give them protein, starting the day they're born.

"We have found their growth has improved at discharge. So something early on in nutrition that we've done as soon as possible after delivery has influenced their outcome even when they go home two months later," says Christina Valentine, MD, with Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital studied hundreds of preemies for more than three years, and found that giving them an IV of amino acids, the building blocks of protein, dramatically improved their weight. The problem is, with all the other issues facing these babies, some doctors put nutrition on the back burner, giving them only sugar water in the first hours after they're born.

"The more we do this, the more we realize that it should probably go on the front burner, and it probably has an effect on improving their overall health, even in the first few days of life," says Valentine.

It might even improve their health the rest of their lives. Studies have shown that the longer a preemie stays underweight, the higher their risk of things like diabetes and hypertension as they get older.** Researchers are looking into other ways nutrition can improve outcomes for preterm infants. Next, they plan to study the role omega-3 fatty acids play in preemies' overall health.

*Learn the Facts: What We Know and What We Don't, March of Dimes, December 2007, retrieved April 2008 at http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity

Ohio State University