title: Early diet and general cognitive outcome at adolescence in children born at or below 30 weeks gestation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that effects of early diet on cognition observed at age 8 years persist in adolescents born preterm at < or = 30 weeks gestational age.
  
  
  METHODS
  A subgroup from a preterm infant cohort recruited for a randomized trial studying the effects of early dietary intervention was assessed at age 16 years. IQ scores were compared between those assigned a high-nutrient diet (n = 49) or standard-nutrient diet (n = 46) in infancy at both 8 and 16 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At age 8 years, the high-nutrient group had higher mean Verbal IQ (VIQ; P = .03), Performance IQ (P = .01), and Full-Scale IQ (P = .02) scores compared with the standard-nutrient group; the VIQ difference persisted at adolescence (P = .02). This effect was accounted for principally by a significant difference in the mean Verbal Comprehension Index score (P < .008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A brief period of dietary intervention after preterm birth, principally between 26 and 34 weeks of gestation, affected IQ at age 16 years. A standard-nutrient diet was associated with lower VIQ, accounted for mainly by differences in verbal comprehension, which persisted after control of social factors.
authors.affiliation: Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK. e.isaacs@ich.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Elizabeth B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Isaacs
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morley
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lucas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D041943:Infant Formula; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012923:Social Class; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014705:Verbal Behavior
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D018977:Micronutrients; D014131:Trace Elements