Nutrition to boost brain development in premature babies

What is your research about?

“One in ten children worldwide is born prematurely. The brains of these children are not yet fully developed and must continue to develop in intensive care, rather than in the safety of the womb. This can lead to brain damage and developmental delays later in life. There are many factors that influence this development. My research focuses on the influence of nutrition. Through clinical studies in the Neonatology department and pre-clinical studies in the Developmental Origins of Disease lab, we are looking at certain substances in breast milk that appear to be important for brain development.”

What makes breast milk so interesting to study?

“Breast milk is the best nutrition for every baby. For children who are born prematurely, every little bit makes a big difference. Several studies show that children who are exclusively breastfed have better brain development than children who are only fed formula. What makes breast milk unique are its bioactive nutrients: a complex collection of fatty acids, stem cells, sugars and probiotics, among other things. Additional administration of these nutrients, on top of the child’s standard diet, could potentially support the child’s development.”

Which nutrients are you studying exactly?

“One of our studies focuses on a combination of different fatty acids, which can be seen as building blocks for brain connections. We expect that administering this combination of fatty acids will enable the connections in the brain to develop better. This is particularly important at a young age, because new brain connections are mainly formed in the first two years of life. In our study, parents give their babies a supplement containing these substances or a placebo, in addition to their standard diet. We follow these children over time and examine how they develop, using both brain scans and mental and motor tests. If the supplement does indeed prove to be effective, that is wonderful news. Taking supplements is simple, safe and could potentially make a big difference.

Another study focuses on combating inflammation. Premature babies are often given antibiotics from birth, which affects not only the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria in the intestines. The bacteria in the intestines are an important part of the immune system. A reduction in good bacteria increases the risk of neuroinflammation, an inflammation of the nervous system that can lead to brain damage. In our study, we are giving one group of babies a mixture containing probiotics and another group a placebo, in addition to their standard diet. We expect that this supplement will enable the microbiome in the intestines to grow healthily, and with it the immune system and the brain. We are now busy with the analyses.”

Why is it important that research is conducted in this area?

“Many children who are born prematurely experience problems later in life. For example, they perform less well at school and have more difficulty making friends. If we support brain development as much as possible at a young age, we may be able to reduce these problems. Optimising nutrition could be an easy, safe, and potentially efficient way to do this.”