NIH Reporter #5R01HD112751-04

Infant diet and cardiometabolic risk among children born preterm

This award funds research on the impact of infant diet during NICU hospitalization on cardiometabolic risk in very preterm infants, aiming to inform dietary strategies to optimize lifelong health.

Description

Each year, over 63,000 U.S. infants are born very preterm, prior to 32 weeks of gestation. With >90% now surviving to discharge due to better obstetrical and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) management, the present challenge is to reduce short- and long-term morbidities experienced by survivors, including the two- to four-fold increased risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome that manifest by young adulthood. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework posits that chronic conditions result from adverse exposures during vulnerable developmental stages known as “critical” or “sensitive” periods. Of particular importance is the first 1000 days of life, when key developmental processes set the stage for lifelong health. Very preterm infants are an especially vulnerable population, as they require NICU support for 2-4 months after birth, coinciding with the 3rd trimester – an established sensitive period for programming of obesity and cardiometabolic risk. In this context, the most highly modifiable and relevant exposure is diet during the NICU hospitalization, which may contribute to the accelerated accretion of fat mass relative to fat-free mass. Hospitalized very preterm infants typically experience impaired weight gain, stunted linear growth, and excess fat accretion relative to the typical fetus. To offset these issues and support brain development, dietary fortification of human milk is provided as standard of care. However, the consequences of dietary fortification for cardiometabolic health in this population are poorly understood. This proposal seeks to uncover the extent to which diet-based interventions that promote physical growth and brain development during a sensitive period may also contribute to cardiometabolic risk. The study involves 130 infants born 24-31 weeks of gestation participating in the Nourish Study (R01HD097327l). Follow-up includes cardiometabolic biomarkers at 2 and 5 years of age.

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