DHA for the Improvement of Neurodevelopmental Outcome in preterm infants: The DINO Trial

早产儿出现神经系统问题的几率高于足月新生儿。婴儿出生得越早，就越有可能出现发育迟缓和在学校的普遍无能。这对儿童、家庭和卫生系统都有影响。与早产儿神经功能发育有关的众多饮食因素之一是一种被称为DHA的omega-3脂肪酸。这种化合物存在于母乳和大多数早产儿配方奶粉中，并且在大脑和视网膜中含量很高。在怀孕的最后三分之一，发育中的婴儿通常会以较快的速度积累DHA。因此，我们似乎可以合理地假设，在母体外出生的早产儿，也需要以同样的速度积累DHA。问题是，目前给早产儿喝的牛奶中没有一种DHA浓度高到足以为婴儿提供这么多的DHA。例如，母乳和早产儿配方奶粉只含有所需DHA的三分之一。为了给早产儿提供这个量，母乳中DHA的含量需要达到总脂肪的1%左右。幸运的是，母乳中的DHA水平可以通过在母亲的饮食中添加鱼或油（如金枪鱼油）来提高到这个水平。这项研究希望表明，早产儿接受的DHA量与子宫内提供的DHA量相似，会比接受低DHA量的婴儿发育得更好。

The incidence of neurological problems that occur in children born prematurely is higher than for those born at term. The earlier that a baby is born, the greater chance it has of having some developmental delay and general inability to cope at school. This has implications for the child, the families and the health system. One of the many dietary factors implicated in the development of neural abilities in premature infants is an omega-3 fatty acid called DHA. This compound is present in breast milk and most preterm formulas and is found in high concentrations in the brain and retina. In the last third of pregnancy the developing baby would normally accumulate DHA at a rapid rate. So it seems reasonable to assume that a baby outside the mother, that is born premature, would also need to accumulate DHA at this same rate. The problem is that none of the milks currently given to premature infants have DHA in high enough concentration to supply this amount of DHA to the baby. For example, breast milk and preterm formulas contain only a third of the DHA required. In order to provide this amount for the premature infant, breast milk containing DHA at about 1% of the total fat is required. Fortunately the level of DHA in breast milk can be increased to this level by supplementing the mothers diet with fish or olis like tuna oil. This study hopes to show that premature babies who receive DHA in amounts similar to that supplied in the womb will develop better than babies who receive low amounts of DHA.