Introduction:

although there are controlled studies about different aspects of enteral feeding to preterm neonates, in most cases it is based on standardized and consensus recommendations.

Objective:

to find out about the changes that occur in plasma glucose within 3 hours following enteral administration of different amounts of lactose.

Method:

nineteen preterm infants were studied, 30 to 35 weeks of gestational age, weight ranged from 1.000 to 2.000 grams with a postnatal age from 8 to 18 days old. All of them were fed every 3 hours. Group 1 consisted of 8 infants who received an average of 1.59 g/kg of lactose per lactation (range 1.36-2.20) and group 2 consisted of 11 infants who received an average of 0.83 g/kg of lactose (range 0.62-1.12) per lactation. The glucose level was measured before the feeding and one, two and three hours after the feeding.

Results:

a significant increase in glucose levels was found in both groups during the first hour compared to levels before the feeding. Median increase was 30.7 mg/100 ml for group 1, median increase was 10.5 mg/100 ml for group 2. During the second and third hour after feeding group 1 continued with GP levels significantly higher than the previous level, whereas the levels of group 2 were not different from the previous value.

Conclusions:

the amount of lactose administered affects the evolution of postprandial glycemia for a period of three hours. It evidences a significant increase in the first hour and subsequently decreases 2 and 3 hours after feeding. Those who received a higher amount of lactose would be more likely to have GP values above the previous value before feeding again, what resulted in a higher carbohydrate loading.

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