Primal Health Databank: Study
| Entry No: | 0256 |
| Title: | Randomised trial of early diet in preterm babies and later intelligent quotient |
| Author(s): | Lucas A, Morley R, Cole TJ |
| Reference: | BMJ 1998; 17: 1481-7 |
| Place of Study: | UK |
| Abstract: | 360 preterm infants who weighed under 1850g at birth were tested at 7.5 - 8 years. In this prospective randomised trial, infants of mothers who chose not to provide breast milk were allocated to receive either a standard term formula or a preterm formula designed to meet the calculated increased nutritional needs in preterm infants as their sole diet. Those babies whose mothers chose to provide their breastmilk were randomly allocated to receive the term or preterm formula as a supplement to breastmilk. There was a major sex difference in the impact of diet. At 7.5-8 years boys previously fed standard versus preterm formula as a sole diet had a 12.2 point disadvantage in verbal IQ. There was a higher incidence of cerebral palsy in those fed term formula. The authors conclude that cognitive function, notably in males, may be prematurely impaired by suboptimal neonatal nutrition. |
| Keyword(s): | bottle feeding, breastmilk, cognitive development, formula feeding, infant feeding, intellectual development, IQ |
| Discussion: | This study may be compared with other studies about IQ in relation to infant feeding. |
| See Also: | No related entries mentioned for this entry |
Go Back | New Keyword Search