ObjectivesRecommendations for vitamin D (VitD) intake and target serum levels of 25(OH)D in preterm infants are diverse. We hypothesized that preterm infants with low birth weight (BW) have low dietary intake of VitD and therefore should be supplemented with higher amounts of VitD.MethodsInfants with BW < 2 kg were supplemented with 600 units of VitD a day during the first 2–6 weeks of life, whereas infants with BW>2 kg continued with the routine supplementation of 400 units of VitD daily. Serum levels of 25(OH)D, calcium, phosphorous, alkaline phosphatase (AP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were assessed 24 h after birth and before discharge. The total daily intake of vitD was calculated in each infant.ResultsSixty-two infants were enrolled, 49 with BW < 2 kg. After birth, only 24% had sufficient levels of 25(OH)D, whereas before discharge 45 of 54 infants (83%) available for analysis reached sufficient levels of 25(OH)D. All 54 infants demonstrated significant elevation in serum levels of calcium, phosphorous, AP and significant reduction in PTH levels. The total daily intake of VitD was lower than recommended (800–1000 IU/d) in 16 of 45 infants with BW < 2 kg (36%) and in all nine infants with BW>2 kg. Nevertheless, only 2 of 25 infants with insufficient intake of VitD demonstrated insufficient levels of serum 25(OH)D. No case of vitamin D excess was recorded.ConclusionsIncreased supplementation of VitD (600 IU/d) for premature newborns with BW < 2 kg is effective in increasing both total daily intake of VitD and serum levels of 25(OH)D.

Background The reduction in the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in developed countries coincides with the increasing incidence of obesity and might be a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. We aimed to evaluate the association between H. pylori infection and childhood overweight/ obesity in Israeli children. Material and Methods Patients diagnosed with H. pylori infection by endoscopy, histology, and a positive culture, between January 2013 and August 2018, were identified and compared with H. pylori‐negative children, of the same age and gender, undergoing endoscopy for the same indications during the same time period. Data collected included the following: age, gender, height, weight, BMI, BMI percentile, and the indication for endoscopy. Patients with missing anthropometric data or having a disease affecting growth were excluded. Results We included 146 H. pylori‐positive children and 146 age‐ and gender‐matched H. pylori‐negative patients. 63.7% (186/292) were female, mean age 13.1 ± 3.7. Overweight (BMI between the 85th‐95th percentile) and obesity (BMI > 95th percentile) were present in 56/292 (19.2%). Among the H. pylori‐positive children, 11.6% were overweight, 7.5% obese, among the H. pylori‐negative children, 10.3% were overweight, 8.9% obese, demonstrating no differences between the groups. The main indication for endoscopy was abdominal/ epigastric pain in 79.8% (233/292). The percent of children with a BMI ≥ 85% did not differ by gender age or the indication for endoscopy. Conclusions No association between H. pylori infection and childhood overweight/ obesity was demonstrated. This is in contrasts with previous pediatric studies demonstrating an inverse correlation.

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Small for gestational age (SGA) is typically defined as birthweight < 10th percentile for age. Limited data are available regarding the growth of SGA preterm infants in relation to feeding type. We aimed to study SGA preterm infants fed fortified mother’s own milk (MOM) or preterm formula (PF) on growth patterns and catch-up growth at discharge and two-years corrected age (CA). Our retrospective cohort study included data from medical records and follow-up questionnaires about SGA preterm infants born at <37 weeks fed on MOM (n=40) and PF (n=40). Weight, length/height and head circumference (HC) were collected at birth, discharge and at two years CA, and Δ z-scores were calculated. The MOM group had significantly larger negative change in weight and length z-scores between birth and discharge, and smaller positive change in HC z-score (-0.47 (±0.41) v. -0.25 (±0.36), P= 0.01; -0.63 (±0.75) v. -0.27 (±0.75), P= 0.03; 0.13 (±0.67) v. 0.41 (±0.55), P= 0.04, respectively). Almost half the MOM fed infants experienced poor length growth by discharge compared to 22% of PF fed infants (P=0.03). By two years CA, both groups had similar positive change in weight and HC z-scores, but MOM fed infants had a slower increase in height z-score (0.64 (±1.30) v. 1.33 (±1.33), P=0.02), and only 40% had achieved catch-up height compared with 68% of the PF group (P=0.02). Our study indicates that fortified MOM fed SGA preterm infants may need extra nutritional support in the first two years of life to achieve height growth potential.