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Essential fatty acid deficiency during parenteral soybean oil lipid minimization

Abstract

Objective:

To determine if parenteral lipid minimization in infants results in essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency.

Study Design:

Prospective study of infants >30 days old and >34 weeks postmenstrual age receiving parenteral lipid minimization (<1.5 g kg–1 per day) with either soybean oil or fish oil and >90% of total nutritional intake parenterally in the 14 days before a serum EFA sample. Nonparametric tests were used for statistical analyses with significance at 0.05.

Results:

Fifteen samples on soybean oil and nine on fish oil were included. Energy and macronutrient intakes and weight gain were similar between groups. Biochemical EFA deficiency occurred in 60% receiving soybean oil but none receiving fish oil (P<0.01). Average daily weight gain was 49% less in EFA deficient infants than EFA sufficient infants (P=0.02).

Conclusion:

Infants on lipid minimization with parenteral soybean oil, but not fish oil, are at high risk of biochemical EFA deficiency with slower weight gain.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by an internal University of Oklahoma Section of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine grant.

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Correspondence to K D Ernst.

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Competing interests

The author is a site investigator for an unrelated multicenter lipid study sponsored by Fresenius Kabi. The author received an internal grant from The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Section of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.

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Ernst, K. Essential fatty acid deficiency during parenteral soybean oil lipid minimization. J Perinatol 37, 695–697 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2017.21

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