Protein in Neonatal Nutrition: Neither Too Little Nor Too Much

Nutrition during the first 1000 days of has a long-term effect on health and metabolic outcome. Preterm infants have high protein needs but in clinical practice it is often difficult to meet those high requirements. High protein intake in term infants can be associated with rapid weight gain during the first 12 months and increased risk of obesity during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This symposium reviewed protein recommendations during neonatal period; brought to attention what is the adequate protein supply for preterm infants to prevent growth failure and avoid excessive intakes as well as new data on programming effect of protein intake in term infants.