title: Safety and Tolerability of Enteral Protein Supplementation for Infants With Brain Injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We hypothesized that enteral protein supplementation in infants with brain injury would be safe and well tolerated and improve growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five infants with perinatal brain injury were randomized to a high-protein (4 g/kg/d) or standard-protein diet and followed for 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The whey protein powder was well tolerated by 9 of the 13 infants in the high-protein group, and no adverse events related to the supplement were seen. The protein group had higher serum urea nitrogen at 10 and 30 days after study initiation but no difference in bicarbonate levels at either time point. Infants in the protein group maintained their weight z score from birth to 3 months of age, while infants in the standard group had a significant decrease in their weight z score over the same time period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that enteral protein supplementation may reduce growth failure in infants with brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Institute, Division of Neonatology stephanie.merhar@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Stephanie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Merhar
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
authors.forename: Jareen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meinzen-Derr
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition Therapy, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sprague
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition Therapy, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Jacqueline J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wessel
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition Therapy, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Staci
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leugers
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Institute, Division of Neonatology.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Painter
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Institute, Division of Neonatology.
authors.forename: Christina J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Valentine
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002657:Child Development; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins
keywords: enteral nutrition; growth; newborn infant; nutritional support