Role of Body Composition in Large for Gestational Age Infants (LGA) With Oral Feeding Difficulty

Description

Large for Gestational Age (LGA) infants have excess fat-mass (FM) proportion secondary to prolonged in utero exposure to an energy-rich environment. Our preliminary data suggest that excess FM proportion can be associated with oral feeding delay and a potentially modifiable therapeutic target to improve oral feeding outcomes. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of a short-term Fat-free mass (FFM)-indexed feeding on the oral intake volumes in LGA infants with oral feeding difficulties.

Conditions

Body Composition, Feeding; Difficult, Newborn, Nutrition Disorder, Infant

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

Large for Gestational Age (LGA) infants have excess fat-mass (FM) proportion secondary to prolonged in utero exposure to an energy-rich environment. Our preliminary data suggest that excess FM proportion can be associated with oral feeding delay and a potentially modifiable therapeutic target to improve oral feeding outcomes. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of a short-term Fat-free mass (FFM)-indexed feeding on the oral intake volumes in LGA infants with oral feeding difficulties.

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing FFM-indexed Feeding vs. Standard Feeding in LGA Infants With Oral Feeding Difficulty and Disproportionate Body Composition.

Role of Body Composition in Large for Gestational Age Infants (LGA) With Oral Feeding Difficulty

Condition
Body Composition
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Orlando

Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando, Florida, United States, 32827

Atlanta

Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30329

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * LGA infants with oral feeding difficulty born at ≥ 35 weeks gestation, with FM z-score \> +1.0 in body composition measurement
  • * Infants on any respiratory support, Infants on enteral feeding duration \> 60 minutes due to hypoglycemia concerns, videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) demonstrating unsafe swallowing function, GI surgical conditions, significant neurological morbidities, and major congenital, genetic syndromes/anomalies

Ages Eligible for Study

1 Week to 10 Weeks

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

Nemours Children's Clinic,

Sreekanth Viswanathan, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Nemours Children's Clinic

Study Record Dates

2026-06-01