Some current controversies on nutritional requirements of full-term and pre-term newborn infants.

Many controversial topics have still to be resolved regarding the nutritional requirements of the newborn, and in particular of the pre-term infant. The term 'controversy' bears the connotation of prolonged dispute and such a situation has arisen for various reasons: (a) from inadequate research methodologies; (b) from the misinterpretation of, or bias within, the results of studies undertaken; (c) from not taking into account the multifactorial etiology of physiopathological situations or illnesses suffered by suckling neonates and newborn infants. Nevertheless, controversy as such is not always a negative factor, as investigation and discussion enable advances in therapeutic methods.