Evidence · Systematic review or meta-analysis
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the nutrient content of preterm and term breast milk.
- Allied health
- Breast milk and breastfeeding
- Enteral feeding
- Growth
- Medical
- Nursing
- Nutrition and gastrointestinal
This paper is from 2014, more than five years ago. Newer evidence may have been published since.
Summary
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 41 studies compares the nutrient content of preterm and term breast milk, including energy, protein, lactose, oligosaccharides, fat, calcium and phosphorus, and examines the influence of gestational and postnatal age. Preterm milk was higher in true protein than term milk, particularly in colostrum, with differences narrowing after the first days and largely disappearing by 10-12 weeks. It also highlights that calculated energy and nitrogen-derived protein estimates differ from directly measured values. The pooled averages may help clinicians and dietitians estimate mother's milk content when direct analysis is unavailable.
Summary written for NICUlearn. Always read the original.
- Licence:
- Open (Creative Commons)
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