Friday, March 28, 2003

Yahoo! News - Premature Babies' Diet Linked to Diabetes Risk
By Alison McCook
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)
"Premature babies given a nutrient-enriched diet designed to help them catch up to their full term peers appear to be more likely to have a pre-diabetic condition in adolescence, UK researchers said Friday. However, investigators have also shown that providing pre-term infants with extra nutrition during the first weeks of life -- a period of rapid growth -- helps developing brain and bone. Currently, premature babies are given a nutrient-enriched form of infant formula to spur their growth. Despite the current findings, study author Dr. Atul Singhal of the Institute of Child Health in London said that practice should continue."