GROWTH AND BODY-COMPOSITION IN INFANTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA UP TO 3 MONTHS CORRECTED AGE - A RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF A HIGH-ENERGY NUTRIENT-ENRICHED FORMULA-FED AFTER HOSPITAL DISCHARGE

Objectives: (1) To determine whether nutrient malabsorption or inadequ ate nutrient intake were involved in the cause of growth delay in pati ents with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and (2) to determine whether a n utrient-enriched formula given to infants with bronchopulmonary dyspla sia to 3 months corrected age improves the rate of growth with greater lean and bone mass accretion when compared with infants fed an isoene rgetic standard infant formula. Study design: A blinded, nutrition int ervention trial of 60 preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (birth weight, 866 +/- 169 g, gestational age, 26 +/- 1.5 weeks) rando mized to either nutrient-enriched formula or standard formula. Growth, body composition, and nutrient retention were compared between groups by Student's t tests and analysis of covariance. Results: Infants fed the enriched formula had significantly greater nitrogen and mineral r etention at 38 weeks' postmenstrual age, and only the infants fed enri ched formula had zinc retention similar to the intrauterine accretion. At 3 months corrected age infants fed enriched formula attained great er length (P < .05), greater radial bone mineral content (P < .01), an d greater lean mass (P < .01). The male infants in the enriched formul a group had greater whole body bone mineral content than did male infa nts in the standard formula group (P = .02). Conclusions: Greater line ar growth and lean and bone mass in the enriched formula group suggest s that infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia attain faster ''catch-u p'' growth when fed higher intakes of protein, calcium, phosphorus, an d zinc than provided in standard proprietary formulas.