Long-term effects of neonatal glutamine-enriched nutrition in very-low-birth-weight infants

• Published in: Nutrition reviews Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 2 - 8
• Main Authors: van Zwol, Annelies, Neu, Josef, van Elburg, Ruurd M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.01.2011; Wiley; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Amino acids; Babies; Biological and medical sciences; Birth weight; Dietary supplements; Enteral Nutrition; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; glutamine; Glutamine - administration & dosage; Glutamine - adverse effects; Humans; infant; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight - growth & development; long-term outcome; Neonatal care; Nutrition; Parenteral Nutrition; Toxicity; Treatment Outcome; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; very low birth weight; Human; Premature; Neonatal; Prognosis; Pregnancy disorders; Nutrition; very low birth weight; Infant; Long term; Feeding; Very low birthweight; Newborn diseases; Prematurity; long-term outcome; Supplementation; Glutamine
• ISSN: 0029-6643; 1753-4887
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00359.x

Several studies in very‐low‐birth‐weight (VLBW) infants have investigated the effect of parenteral or enteral glutamine supplementation on morbidity, mortality, and outcome in the neonatal period. No evidence of toxicity of glutamine supplementation was found in these clinical trials, but the results for efficacy on a limited number of outcomes have been mixed. The use of glutamine supplementation in VLBW infants has not become routine. Some authors suggest that further study in this area is no longer warranted. In this review, more recent research in the area of glutamine supplementation is described, which suggests additional studies are warranted.