Study design (if review, criteria of inclusion for studies)
RCT
Participants
infants with CF enrolled in the evaluation and treatment protocol of the Wisconsin CF Neonatal Screening Project. Group A (n = 43) and group B (n = 33)
Interventions
predigested formula preparations A and B, with linoleic acid contents of 12% and 7% of energy, respectively, were fed before and after 1989
Outcome measures
Outcome was assessed from height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-age (WAZ) Z scores on follow-up exams during the first year
Main results
Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between groups. At diagnosis, 53% of the enrolled infants (n = 76) showed low plasma linoleic acid concentrations and 22% had a high ratio of triene to tetraene. After correcting for the effect of potentially confounding variables, we found that HAZ (by .27, P < 0.05) and WAZ (by 0.26, P = 0.081) were higher in group A than in group B. This occurred despite a significantly higher energy intake in group B. This difference was most pronounced between 6 and 9 mo of age.
Authors' conclusions
A high linoleic acid content in formula benefits infants with CF because it optimizes nutrition, growth, and feeding efficiency.