[CA, P, AND MG POSTNATAL METABOLISM AND REQUIREMENTS IN PARENTERAL AND ENTERAL NUTRITION OF PREMATURE INFANTS].

During the last trimester of gestation, transplacental mineral transfer and fetal mineral accretion is particularly high: 2.3-3.2 mmol/kg/day (90-130 mg/kg/d) of calcium, 2.4-2.7 mmol/kg/d (65-75 mg/kg/day) of phosphorus and 0.12-0.20 mmol/kg/d (2.9-4.8 mg/kg/day) of magnesium. After birth, there is a dramatic change in bone mineral metabolism from a maximal bone deposition during fetal life to a postnatal bone turnover stimulation improving bone structure and resistance. This physiological change could partly reduce the mineral requirements, as minerals available from the remodeling activities could be recycled for bone mineralization. In addition, recent studies in preterm infants, suggest that the use of early more "aggressive" nutritional support, providing high aminoacid intakes from the first day of life, may induce a "refeeding like syndrome" suggesting that early phosphorus and electrolytes supplies are also necessary. The aim of the present paper is to review the mineral metabolism of Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) infants during the first weeks of life at the light of the more recent studies and to revise the nutritional recommendations for mineral parenteral and enteral intakes in VLBW infants.