HM provided a clear protective effect against NEC , with an approximate 4 % reduction in incidence .
HM also provided a possible reduction in LOS , severe ROP and severe NEC .
Particularly for NEC , any volume of HM is better than EPTF , and the higher the dose the greater the protection .
Evidence regarding pasteurisation is inconclusive , but it appears to have no effect on some outcomes .
Improving the intake of mother ’s own milk ( MOM ) and /or donor HM results in small improvements in morbidity in this population
Growth and biochemical response of preterm infants fed human milk or modified infant formula.
My colleagues and I compared the biochemical status and rates of growth of three groups of preterm infants : one group was fed  milk obtained early from mothers of preterm infants ;  one group received  milk produced during the mature stage of lactation by mothers of term infants ; and one group received a whey-based infant formula . Sixty healthy preterm infants with birth weights of 1600 g or less were r and omly assigned to one of the three feedings groups . The 20 infants in each group were followed until they reached a weight of 1800 g. The mean ( + /- S.E.M. ) number of days required to regain birth weight was similar for infants receiving the formula ( 10.3 + /- 0.8 ) and those receiving milk from mothers of preterm infants ( 11.4 + /- 0.8 ) ; both were significantly less than the number ( 18.8 + /- 1.7 ) for infants receiving milk from mothers of term infants ( P less than 0.001 ) . Subsequent rates of weight gain were greater for the groups receiving formula ( 27.0 + /- 0.8 g per day ) and milk from mothers of preterm infants ( 23.7 + /- 1.1 ) than for the group receiving milk from mothers of term infants ( 15.8 + /- 0.8 ) ( P less than 0.001 ) . Similarly , the average increments in crown-to-heel length and in the head circumference were significantly greater for the groups given formula and milk from mothers of preterm infants ( P less than 0.005 and P less than 0.001 , respectively ) . These data indicate that feeding with either milk from mothers of preterm infants or a whey-based infant formula results in more appropriate growth in preterm infants than feeding with milk from mothers of term infants
HM provided a clear protective effect against NEC , with an approximate 4 % reduction in incidence .
HM also provided a possible reduction in LOS , severe ROP and severe NEC .
Particularly for NEC , any volume of HM is better than EPTF , and the higher the dose the greater the protection .
Evidence regarding pasteurisation is inconclusive , but it appears to have no effect on some outcomes .
Improving the intake of mother ’s own milk ( MOM ) and /or donor HM results in small improvements in morbidity in this population