Adding Dietary Green Beans to Formula Resolves the Diarrhea Associated With a Bowel Resection in Neonates

Abstract

Background. Traditionally, dietary fiber has been empirically added to infant formulas to improve feeding intolerance for those infants diagnosed with intestinal failure (IF) or short-bowel syndrome (SBS). Clinicians have added a variety of products such as pectin, Benefiber, infant cereals, or baby foods as the dietary fiber source, without documented evidence of their efficacy. Materials and Methods. This was a retrospective cohort review of infants admitted between August 2003 and June 2011 to the Children’s Hospital of Illinois who had dietary green beans added to their formula because of feeding intolerance. Our primary hypothesis was that adding dietary fiber as green beans to an infant’s formula would correct diarrhea resulting from a bowel resection and reduce their dependence on parenteral nutrition (PN). Results. In all, 18 infants were prescribed dietary green beans added to their formula during this study period; 7 of them were diagnosed with SBS. After the addition of the dietary green beans to their formula, all infants had improvements in stool consistency: 56% of the infants had mushy/soft stools, and 44% of the infants had formed stools. Also, 61% of infants had PN discontinued because 100% of their nutritional needs were met by enteral feedings. Conclusion. Infants with IF or SBS stool patterns improved after dietary green beans were added to the formula. The addition of this type of dietary fiber may allow the clinician to advance enteral feeding volumes and decrease the infant’s dependence on PN and avoid associated PN-related morbidities.