None of the trials individually found any statistically significant difference in the incidence of NEC .
However , meta- analysis found that feeding with donor human milk was associated with a significantly reduced relative risk ( RR ) of NEC .
OBJECTIVES To determine if enteral feeding with donor human milk compared with formula milk reduces the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis ( NEC ) in preterm or low birthweight infants .
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
None of the trials individually found any statistically significant difference in the incidence of NEC .
However , meta- analysis found that feeding with donor human milk was associated with a significantly reduced relative risk ( RR ) of NEC .
OBJECTIVES To determine if enteral feeding with donor human milk compared with formula milk reduces the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis ( NEC ) in preterm or low birthweight infants .