The identified trials provide only low quality evidence about the effects of feeding preterm infants  with protein hydrolysate versus st and ard formula .
The existing data did not support conclusions that feeding with protein hydrolysate affects the risk of feed intolerance or necrotising enterocolitis .
BACKGROUND When human milk is not available for feeding preterm infants , protein hydrolysate rather than st and ard cow 's milk formulas ( with intact proteins ) are often used because they are perceived as being tolerated better and less likely to lead to complications .
However , protein hydrolysate formulas are more expensive than st and ard formulas , and concern exists that their use in practice is not supported by high- quality evidence .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of feeding preterm infants with hydrolysed formula ( versus st and ard cow 's milk formulas )  on the risk of feed intolerance , necrotising enterocolitis , and  other morbidity and mortality in preterm infants .
Correlation between early neonatal diet and atopic symptoms up to 5-7 years of age in very low birth weight infants: follow-up of randomized, double-blind study.
The influence of early feeding on the risk of atopic diseases has been studied in full-term newborns , not in very low birth weight infants ( VLBW ) . The study evaluated effect of early feeding of VLBW infants with either cow 's milk-based formula ( CMF ) or extensively hydrolyzed milk formula ( HF ) on incidence of atopic diseases and markers of atopy at 5 - 7 years of age . This was a follow-up of the r and omized , double-blind study evaluating the influence of different enteral feeding protocol s on the early morbidity of VLBW infants . In the original study 80 children were r and omly allocated into 2 groups receiving during first month of life HF ( experimental group ) or CMF ( control group ) . At the age of 5 - 7 years , 62 children among 74 available ( 84 % ) with mean birthweight 1124 g were evaluated according to st and ardized ISAAC ( International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood ) protocol . Total IgE level , specific IgE , lymphocyte CD4+CCR4+/CD4+CXCR3 + ratio and skin prick tests ( SPT ) were done . Prevalence of obvious allergic diseases was not significantly different between the studied groups ( HF : 12/33 ; CMF : 6/29 ; RR [ relative risk ] HF vs CMF : 1.76 ; 95%CI [ confidence interval ] : 0.76 - 4.09 ) . Comparison of atopic status across groups revealed similar rate of positive markers of atopy : IgE ( RR : 2.57 95%CI : 0.91 - 8,08 ) , SPT ( RR : 5.13 ; 95%CI : 0.93 - 31.6 ) , lymphocyte CD4+CCR4+/CD4+CXCR3 + ratio ( OR : 2.32 ; 95%CI : 0.78 - 7.53 ) in the both studied groups . Based on the carried out follow-up study we were unable to confirm the usefulness of hydrolyzed formula in prevention of allergy in an unselected cohort of very low birth weight infants
The identified trials provide only low quality evidence about the effects of feeding preterm infants  with protein hydrolysate versus st and ard formula .
The existing data did not support conclusions that feeding with protein hydrolysate affects the risk of feed intolerance or necrotising enterocolitis .
BACKGROUND When human milk is not available for feeding preterm infants , protein hydrolysate rather than st and ard cow 's milk formulas ( with intact proteins ) are often used because they are perceived as being tolerated better and less likely to lead to complications .
However , protein hydrolysate formulas are more expensive than st and ard formulas , and concern exists that their use in practice is not supported by high- quality evidence .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of feeding preterm infants with hydrolysed formula ( versus st and ard cow 's milk formulas )  on the risk of feed intolerance , necrotising enterocolitis , and  other morbidity and mortality in preterm infants .