Prevention of neonatal hypoglycaemia by oral lipid supplementation in low birth weight infants.

The effect of oral lipid supplementation (2.9 g/day containing 67% medium chain triglycerides) on the prevention of neonatal hypoglycaemia was evaluated in 28 low birth weight infants (mean +/- 1 SD for gestational age: 36 +/- 1.2 weeks and birth weight: 1778 +/- 230 g) and compared to a control group of 23 infants with similar gestational age, birth weight and sex. The incidence of hypoglycaemic patients with plasma glucose less than 1.72 mmol/l was 8/23 (35%) in the control group versus 2/28 (7%) in the supplemented group: chi 2 = 6.72; P less than 0.01. Determinations of plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in 11 infants of the supplemented group did not show values higher than 1.2 mmol/l. This prospective study shows that supplementation with lipids can prevent the occurrence of hypoglycaemia in low birth weight infants.