Outcome of coconut oil massage in newborns

Background Coconut oil supplies essential nutrients, prevents heat loss by forming barrier, and enhances skin maturity. Massage also provides benefit of tactile stimulation. Objectives To detect the effect of coconut oil massage in the newborn period on weight gain, skin maturity, neurodevelopment, and brain growth. Study design Randomized controlled trial. Participants This study included 585 consecutively born children over 1 year and followed them up for 2 years. Newborns with congenital anomaly, whose parents denied consent, and severely ill newborns were excluded from the study. Intervention Newborns of group A received coconut oil massage four times daily in the newborn period. Newborns of group B received massage without any emollient. Outcomes Primary outcome was weight gain/day in the newborn period. Secondary outcomes were weight loss in the initial part of life, hypothermia, sepsis, serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level at day 30, skin maturity at day 14 and 28, head circumference and neurodevelopmental outcome at 6th, 12th, 18th, and 24th months, and brain volume at 2 years. Results Mean weight loss in early part of life was significantly less [223.5 (35.5) g vs 238.7 (40.2) g, P 0.05). Conclusion Coconut oil massage is a promising, cost-effective, and socially acceptable intervention for lowering neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly in preterms.