Comparing the Effectiveness between Donor and Formula Milk for Preterm Infants
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Reviewed & Translated by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
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Posted on August 27th, 2025
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Maternal milk is the most valuable nutrient source for young children; however, preterm infants had difficulty with breastfeeding. Additionally, mothers who gave birth preterm may have problems with milk production. Thus, alternative methods must be utilized until maternal milk can be delivered. With funding from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, a study was conducted to compare the usage of formula milk and donor milk in preterm infants.
The randomized controlled study included 201 infants with an average gestational age of 34.7 weeks at birth. Almost 60% of the infants were born via cesarean section, and the children had a mean weight z-score of -0.2. The participants were randomly assigned to be supplemented with either donor milk or formula milk. Analysis found that donor milk has an average protein content of 1.16 g per 100 mL and fat content of 3.85 g per 100 mL. Formula milk has a protein content of 1.5 g per 100 mL and fat content of 3.5 g per 100 mL. The alternative milk was administered for 8 days, and extra calorie supplementation was ordered for 20% of the infants.
The researchers found both formula and donor milk was equally effective at assisting the infants achieving full enteral feeds (150 mL of milk per kilogram of body weight per day) by around the 6th day. There was no significant difference between donor milk and formula milk in other parameters such as number of episodes feeding intolerance, duration of IV glucose usage. However, infant donor milk gained weight at a slower rate than formula milk.
The randomized controlled study included 201 infants with an average gestational age of 34.7 weeks at birth. Almost 60% of the infants were born via cesarean section, and the children had a mean weight z-score of -0.2. The participants were randomly assigned to be supplemented with either donor milk or formula milk. Analysis found that donor milk has an average protein content of 1.16 g per 100 mL and fat content of 3.85 g per 100 mL. Formula milk has a protein content of 1.5 g per 100 mL and fat content of 3.5 g per 100 mL. The alternative milk was administered for 8 days, and extra calorie supplementation was ordered for 20% of the infants.
The researchers found both formula and donor milk was equally effective at assisting the infants achieving full enteral feeds (150 mL of milk per kilogram of body weight per day) by around the 6th day. There was no significant difference between donor milk and formula milk in other parameters such as number of episodes feeding intolerance, duration of IV glucose usage. However, infant donor milk gained weight at a slower rate than formula milk.