Neonatal Nutrition Research

Selected Publications from Our Research Team

Randomized clinical trials of early feeding practices

  1. Salas AA, Argent T, Jeffcoat S, Tucker M, Ashraf AP, Travers CP.

    Early Vitamin D Supplementation in Infants Born Extremely Preterm and Fed Human Milk: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    J Pediatr. 2025

    • Human milk
    • Growth
    • Respiratory outcomes

  2. Salas AA, Gunawan E, Jeffcoat S, Nguyen K.

    Early full enteral nutrition with fortified milk in very preterm infants: a randomized clinical trial

    Am J Clin Nutr. 2025

    • Human milk
    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  3. Razzaghy J, Shukla VV, Gunawan E, Reeves A, Nguyen K, Salas AA.

    Early and exclusive enteral nutrition in infants born very preterm

    Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2024Free article

    • Human milk
    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  4. Salas AA, Gunawan E, Nguyen K, Reeves A, Argent V, Finck A, Carlo WA.

    Early Human Milk Fortification in Infants Born Extremely Preterm: A Randomized Trial

    Pediatrics. 2023 Sep 1;152(3):e2023061603.Free article

    • Human milk
    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  5. Salas AA, Jerome M, Finck A, Razzaghy J, Chandler-Laney P, Carlo WA.

    Body composition of extremely preterm infants fed protein-enriched, fortified milk: a randomized trial

    Pediatric Research 2021 Jun 28:1-7Free article

    • Human milk
    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  6. Salas AA, Jerome ML, Chandler-Laney P, Carlo AA, Ambalavanan N.

    Serial assessment of body fat and fat-free mass accretion in very preterm infants: a randomized trial

    Pediatric Research 2020 Nov;88(5):733-738.Free article

    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  7. Travers CP, Wang T, Salas AA, Schofield E, Dills M, Laney D, Yee A, Bhatia A, Winter L, Ambalavanan N, Carlo WA.

    Higher or usual volume feedings in very preterm infants: a randomized clinical trial

    Journal of Pediatrics 2020 Sep;224:66-71.

    • Growth

  8. Salas AA, Li P, Parks K, Lal CV, Martin CR, Carlo WA.

    Early progressive feeding in extremely preterm infants: a randomized trial

    Am J Clin Nutr 2018. 107(3):365-370.Free article

    • Human milk
    • Growth

  9. Fort P, Salas AA, Nicola T, Craig CM, Carlo WA, Ambalavanan N.

    A comparison of 3 vitamin D dosing regimens in extremely preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial

    J Pediatr. 2016 Jul;174:132-138.Free article

    • Growth
    • Respiratory outcomes

  10. Salas AA, Cuna A, Bhat R, McGwin G Jr, Carlo WA, Ambalavanan N.

    A randomised trial of re-feeding gastric residuals in preterm infants

    Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2015 May;100(3):F224-8.

    • Growth

Secondary analyses of randomized clinical trials

  1. Strobel KM, Jaspan HB, Gibbons SM, Salas AA.

    Microbial Interactions with Protein Intake and Preterm Infant Body Composition: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial

    J Nutr. 2026 Sep;156(9):101723.

    • Body Composition
    • Gut microbiome

  2. Salas AA, Stewart CJ, Young GR.

    Early gut microbiome composition of very preterm infants randomised to receive human milk volumes of 60 ml/kg/day or more within the first 36 hours after birth

    Pediatr Res. 2025Free article

    • Human milk
    • Gut microbiome

  3. Jeffcoat S, Salas AA.

    Long-term growth and neurodevelopment of extremely preterm infants randomized to fortified human milk diets enriched with a protein supplement

    Pediatr Res. 2025Free article

    • Human milk
    • Neurodevelopment

  4. Tucker MJ, Jeffcoat SH, Argent T, Travers CP, Salas AA.

    Severity of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Infants Born Extremely Preterm and Randomized to Early Human Milk Fortification with a Donor Milk-Derived Fortifier for 2 Weeks

    J Pediatr. 2025

    • Human milk
    • Respiratory outcomes

  5. Durham L, Gunawan E, Nguyen K, Reeves A, Shukla V, Salas AA.

    Total Fluid Administration and Weight Loss during the First 2 Weeks in Infants Randomized to Early Enteral Feeding after Extremely Preterm Birth

    Neonatology. 2023;120(2):257-262.Free article

    • Human milk
    • Growth
    • Neurodevelopment

  6. Aristizabal N, Holder MP, Durham L, Ashraf AP, Taylor S, Salas AA.

    Safety and efficacy of early vitamin D supplementation in critically ill extremely preterm infants: an ancillary study of a randomized trial

    J Acad Nutr Diet. 2022 Jun 18:S2212-2672(22)00384-7.

    • Growth
    • Respiratory outcomes

  7. Salas AA, Willis KA, Carlo WA, Yi N, Zhang L, Van Der Pol WJ, Younge NE, Lefkowitz EJ, Lal CV.

    The gut microbiome of extremely preterm infants randomized to the early progression of enteral feeding

    Pediatr Res. 2022Free article

    • Human milk
    • Gut microbiome

  8. Salas AA, Travers CP, Chandler-Laney P, Jerome M, Carlo WA.

    Percent Body Fat Content Measured by Plethysmography in Infants Randomized to High- or Usual-Volume Feeding after Very Preterm Birth

    Journal of Pediatrics 2021 Mar;230:251Free article

    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  9. Salas AA, Woodfin T, Phillips V, Peralta-Carcelen M, Carlo WA, Ambalavanan N.

    Dose-response effects of early vitamin D supplementation on neurodevelopmental and respiratory outcomes of extremely preterm infants at 2 years of age: a randomized trial

    Neonatology 2018; 113:256-62Free article

    • Respiratory outcomes
    • Neurodevelopment

Multicenter, observational studies

  1. Salas AA, Wiener LE, Trotta M, Valcarce V, Romero-Lopez M, Ortigoza EB, Fu TT, McNelis K, Poindexter B, Carlo WA; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network.

    Time to Full Enteral Feeds and Late-Onset Sepsis in Extremely Preterm Infants

    JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Nov 3;8(11):e2543940.

  2. Salas AA, Binder C, Wiechers C, Gsöellpointner M, Haiden N, Fusch C, Rochow N.

    Association between Growth Trajectories and Body Composition Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants: A Cohort Study

    Neonatology. 2025

    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  3. Salas AA, Chetta K, Lach L, Katikaneni L, Itriago E, Hair AB, Moreira A, Bergner EM, Elabiad MT, Ramel SE.

    Race as social determinant of growth and body composition among infants born very preterm

    Pediatr Res. 2025

    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  4. Salas AA, Carlo WA, Bann CM, Bell EF, Colaizy TT, Younge N, Peralta M, Ambalavanan N, Poindexter BB.

    Risk Assessment of Cognitive Impairment at 2 Years of Age in Infants Born Extremely Preterm Using the INTERGROWTH-21st Growth Standards

    J Pediatr. 2024

    • Growth
    • Neurodevelopment

  5. Salas AA, Gunn E, Carlo WA, Bell EF, Das A, Josephson CD, Patel RM, Tan S, Kirpalani H; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network.

    Timing of Red Blood Cell Transfusions and Occurrence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

    JAMA Netw Open. 2024Free article

    • Necrotizing enterocolitis

  6. Salas AA, Carlo WA, Do BT, Bell EF, Das A, Van Meurs KP, Poindexter BB, Shankaran S, Younge N, Watterberg KL, Higgins RD; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network.

    Growth Rates of Infants Randomized to CPAP or Intubation After Extremely Preterm Birth

    J Pediatr. 2021 Jun 19:S0022-3476(21)00556-4Free article

    • Growth

  7. Salas AA, Carlo WA, Ambalavanan N, Nolen TL, Stoll BJ, Das A, Higgins RD.

    Gestational age and birthweight for risk assessment of neurodevelopmental impairment or death in extremely preterm infants

    Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2016 Nov;101(6):F494-F501.Free article

    • Growth
    • Neurodevelopment

Single center, observational studies

  1. Gunawan E, Molleti M, Salas AA.

    Early body composition outcomes of infants born very preterm and receiving high volume, human milk feedings (≥170 mL/kg/day) before postnatal day 14

    J Perinatol. 2026 Mar;46(3):467-469.

    • Human milk
    • Body Composition

  2. Gunawan E, Jain VG, Hardy S, Irvin MR, Salas AA.

    Histologic chorioamnionitis and fat mass accretion in infants born preterm

    Pediatr Res. 2026 Mar;99(4):1443-1450.

    • Body Composition

  3. Gentle SJ, Shukla VV, Cooley A, Ambalavanan N, Carlo WA, Taylor SN, Salas AA.

    Feeding Dynamics in Very Preterm Infants with Delayed Oral Feeding Attainment

    Neonatology. 2025

    • Oral feeding

  4. Cyrus KE, Jerome ML, Reeves AV, Nguyen K, Shankaran M, Evans WJ, Salas AA.

    Correlation Between Skeletal Muscle Mass and Fat-Free Mass in Infants Born Very Preterm

    J Pediatr. 2025

    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  5. Razzaghy J, Zhang L, Yi N, Salas AA.

    Predicting body fat percentage at 36 weeks of postmenstrual age in infants born preterm: A diagnostic accuracy study

    JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2023 Nov;47(8):1056-1061.

    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  6. Jerome M, Chandler-Laney P, Affuso O, Li P, Salas AA.

    Racial differences in growth rates and body composition of infants born preterm

    J Perinatol. 2022 Mar;42(3):385-388.Free article

    • Growth
    • Body Composition

  7. Salas AA, Bhatia A, Carlo WA.

    Postnatal growth of preterm infants 24 to 26 weeks of gestation and cognitive outcomes at 2 years of age

    Pediatr Res. 2021 May;89(7):1804-1809Free article

    • Growth
    • Neurodevelopment

  8. Salas AA, Meads C, Ganus S, Bhatia A, Taylor C, Chandler-Laney P, Imtiaz MH, Sazonov E.

    Quantitative assessment of nutritive sucking patterns in preterm infants

    Early Hum Dev. 2020 Jul;146:105044.Free article

    • Oral feeding

Quality Improvement

  1. Gentle SJ, Meads C, Ganus S, Barnette E, Munkus K, Carlo WA, Salas AA.

    Improving Time to Independent Oral Feeding to Expedite Hospital Discharge in Preterm Infants

    Pediatrics. 2022 Mar 1;149(3):e2021052023.

    • Oral feeding

  2. Benefield D, Salas AA.

    Orogastric Tube Insertion in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

    Advances in Neonatal Care 2021Video abstract

Reviews / commentaries

  1. Romero-Lopez M, Salas AA.

    Enteral nutrition in neonates: current evidence from clinical trials and evolving strategies

    Semin Perinatol. 2026 Jun;50(4):152236.

  2. Salas AA, Barbian ME.

    In the modern era of human milk-based feeding, is the greater risk to extremely preterm infants feeding too early or feeding too little?

    Pediatr Res. 2026 May 15.

  3. Salas AA, Ojha S.

    Exclusive enteral nutrition in preterm infants: How early is too early?

    Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2025

  4. Perez KM, Strobel KM, Hendrixson DT, Brandon O, Hair AB, Workneh R, Abayneh M, Nangia S, Hoban R, Kolnik S, Rent S, Salas AA, Ojha S, Valentine GC.

    Nutrition and the gut-brain axis in neonatal brain injury and development

    Semin Perinatol. 2024

  5. Salas AA.

    Revolutionizing Neonatal Nutrition: Rethinking Definitions and Standards for Optimal Care

    Adv Nutr. 2024Free article

  6. Jerome ML, Valcarce V, Lach L, Itriago E, Salas AA.

    Infant body composition: A comprehensive overview of assessment techniques, nutrition factors, and health outcomes

    Nutr Clin Pract. 2023 Oct;38 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S7-S27.

  7. Salas AA, Travers CP.

    The Practice of Enteral Nutrition: Clinical Evidence for Feeding Protocols

    Clin Perinatol. 2023 Sep;50(3):607-623.Free article

  8. Perez K, Valentine GC, Nangia S, Burrin DG, Abayneh M, Workneh R, Jerome M, Dinerstein NA, Salas A.

    Advancement of Enteral Feeding in Very-low-birth-weight Infants: Global Issues and Challenges

    Newborn 2022; 1 (3):306-313.Free article