In term infants it is recommended to introduce solids between the 17th and 26th week of life, whereas data for preterm infants are missing. In a prospective, two-arm interventional study we investigated longitudinal growth of VLBW infants after early (10–12th) or late (16–18th) week of life, corrected for term, introduction of standardized complementary food. Primary endpoint was height at one year of age, corrected for term, and secondary endpoints were other anthropometric parameters such as weight, head circumference, BMI, and z-scores. Among 177 infants who underwent randomization, the primary outcome could be assessed in 83 (93%) assigned to the early and 83 (94%) to the late group. Mean birthweight was 941 (SD ± 253) g in the early and 932 (SD ± 256) g in the late group, mean gestational age at birth was 27 + 1/7 weeks in both groups. Height was 74.7 (mean; SD ± 2.7) cm in the early and 74.4 cm (mean; SD ± 2.8; n.s.) cm in the late group at one year of age, corrected for term. There were no differences in anthropometric parameters between the study groups except for a transient effect on weight z-score at 6 months. In preterm infants, starting solids should rather be related to neurological ability than to considerations of nutritional intake and growth.

Background Childhood obesity is often associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common chronic liver disease in pediatrics. Methods This multi-center study analyzed liver echogenicity and liver enzymes in relation to obesity, age, gender and comorbidities. Data were collected using a standardized documentation software (APV) from 1.033 pediatric patients (age: 4–18 years, body mass index = BMI: 28–36 kg/m2, 50% boys) with overweight (BMI >90th percentile), obesity (BMI >97th percentile) or extreme obesity (BMI > 99.5th percentile) and obesity related comorbidities, especially NAFLD from 26 centers of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma glutamyltransferase (gammaGT) were evaluated using 2 cut-off values a) > 25 U/L and b) > 50 U/L. Multiple logistic regression models were used for statistical analysis. Results In total, 44% of the patients showed increased liver echogenicity. Liver enzymes > 25 U/L were present in 64% and > 50 U/L in 17%. Increased liver echogenicity was associated with elevated liver enzymes (> 25 U/L: odds ratio (OR) = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1–1.9, P < 0.02; > 50 U/L: OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 2.4–5.1, P < 0.0001). Extreme obesity, adolescence and male gender were associated with increased liver echogenicity (extreme obesity vs overweight OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.9–6.1, P < 0.0001; age > 14 years vs age < 9 years OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.4–3.5, P < 0.001; boys vs girls OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2–2.0, P < 0.001) and elevated liver enzymes (extreme obesity vs overweight > 25 U/L: OR = 4.1, 95% CI: 2.4–6.9, P < 0.0001; > 50 U/L: OR = 18.5, 95% CI: 2.5–135, P < 0.0001; age > 14 years vs age < 9 years > 50 U/L: OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.0–3.7, P > 0.05; boys vs girls > 25 U/L: OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 2.4–4.1, P < 0.0001; > 50 U/L: OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.5–2.9, P < 0.0001). Impaired glucose metabolism showed a significant correlation with elevated liver enzymes > 50 U/L (OR = 4.4, 95% CI: 1.6–11.8, P < 0.005). Arterial hypertension seemed to occur in patients with elevated liver enzymes > 25 U/L (OR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2–2.0, P < 0.005). Conclusions NAFLD is strongly related to extreme obesity in male adolescents. Moreover impaired glucose tolerance was observed in patients with elevated liver enzymes > 50 U/L, but arterial hypertension was only present in patients with moderately elevated liver enzymes > 25 U/L.

Milk consumption may modify the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. The role of milk to modulate the gene expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells has not been investigated so far. Here, HSC2 oral squamous carcinoma cells were exposed to an aqueous fraction of human milk and a whole-genome array was performed. Among the genes that were significantly reduced by human and cow milk were the DNA-binding protein inhibitor 1 (ID1), ID3 and Distal-Less Homeobox 2 (DLX2) in HSC2 cells. Also, in TR146 oral squamous carcinoma cells, there was a tendency towards a decreased gene expression. Upon size fractionation, lactoperoxidase but not lactoferrin and osteopontin was identified to reduce ID1 and ID3 in HSC2 cells. Dairy products and hypoallergenic infant formula failed to decrease the respective genes. These data suggest that milk can reduce the expression of transcription factors in oral squamous carcinoma cells.

Postnatal growth restriction and deficits in fat-free mass are associated with impaired neurodevelopment. The optimal body composition to support normal brain growth and development remains unclear. This study investigated the association between body composition and brain size in preterm infants. We included 118 infants born <28 weeks of gestation between 2017–2021, who underwent body composition (fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM)) and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging to quantify brain size (cerebral biparietal diameter (cBPD), bone biparietal diameter (bBPD), interhemispheric distance (IHD), transverse cerebellar diameter (tCD)) at term-equivalent age. FFM Z-Score significantly correlated with higher cBPD Z-Score (rs = 0.69; p < 0.001), bBPD Z-Score (rs = 0.48; p < 0.001) and tCD Z-Score (rs = 0.30; p = 0.002); FM Z-Score significantly correlated with lower brain size (cBPD Z-Score (rs = −0.32; p < 0.001) and bBPD Z-Score (rs = −0.42; p < 0.001). In contrast weight (rs = 0.08), length (rs = −0.01) and head circumference Z-Score (rs = 0.14) did not. Linear regression model adjusted for important neonatal variables revealed that FFM Z-Score was independently and significantly associated with higher cBPD Z-Score (median 0.50, 95% CI: 0.59, 0.43; p < 0.001) and bBPD Z-Score (median 0.31, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.19; p < 0.001); FM Z-Score was independently and significantly associated with lower cBPD Z-Score (median −0.27, 95% CI: −0.42, −0.11; p < 0.001) and bBPD Z-Score (median −0.32, 95% CI: −0.45, −0.18; p < 0.001). Higher FFM Z-Score and lower FM Z-scores were significantly associated with larger brain size at term-equivalent age. These results indicate that early body composition might be a useful tool to evaluate and eventually optimize brain growth and neurodevelopment.