Table 4 A summary of four included prebiotic studies
Boehm 2002 [[36] | Indrio 2009 [[43] | Kapiki 2007 [[45] | Mihatsch 2006 [[44] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Location of study | Milan, Italy | University of Bari, Policinico, Italy | Athens, Greece | Ulm University, Germany |
Participants - entry criteria | <32 weeks gestation | Healthy preterm newborns | ≤ 36 weeks gestation | < 1500 g birth weight |
Number of study participants | Study group = 15, Placebo = 15 | Study group = 10 , Placebo = 10 | Study group = 36, Placebo = 20 | Study group = 10, Placebo = 10 |
Prebiotic used | GOS 90%, FOS 10% | scGOS, lcFOS at ratio 9:1 | FOS | GOS, FOS |
Dose of prebiotic | 1g/dl | 0.8 g/dl | 0.4g/100ml | 1g/dl |
Placebo | Maltodextrin | Maltodextrin | Maltodextrin | Maltodextrin |
Dose of placebo | 1 g/dl | 0.8 g/dl | 0.4 g | 1.8 / 90 ml |
Treatment initiation | When enteral feed ≥ 80 mls /kg/day was tolerated | Not clear | Exclusively formula fed at start of study | At full enteral feed at start of study |
Treatment duration | 28 days | 15 days | 14 days | 15 days |
Reported Outcomes | ||||
Growth parameters | Weight gain, linear growth | Weight gain, linear growth, head growth | Weight gain, linear growth, head growth | Weight gain |
Timing and duration of measurement of growth parameters | Measured on days 1, 7, 14, 28 | Measured before start of study, days 3, 5, 15 | Measured on days 1, 7, 14 | Weight gain: reported as “Average weight gain during study.” |
Feed tolerance | Number of days to full enteral feed, maximal enteral feed | Number of days to full enteral feed, maximal enteral feed | Number of days to full enteral feed | Number of days to full enteral feed, maximal enteral feed |
Stool characteristics | Stooling frequency, consistency | Stooling frequency, consistency | Stool viscosity, Stooling frequency, consistency | |
Changes in gastrointestinal microflora | cfu bifidobacteria | cfu bifidobacteria, pathogens |