Table 4

Comparison of growth between the donor breast milk and formula groups

Outcome and studies	Sole diet comparison								Supplementary diet comparison
	Donor breast milk			Formula			MD (95% CI)	p value	Donor breast milk			Formula			MD (95% CI)	p value
	No.	Mean	SD	No.	Mean	SD	MD (95% CI)	p value	No.	Mean	SD	No.	Mean	SD	MD (95% CI)	p value
MD, mean difference; No., total.
MD<0 favours donor breast milk.
*Median not mean.
Days taken to regain birth weight
Lucas et al¹³	29	16	–	33	10*	–	6*	p = 0.004	67	15*		65	13*		2*	p = 0.14
Gross¹²	40	3.58	0.8	20	10.3	3.58	−6.72 (−7.90 to −5.54)	p<0.001
Raiha et al¹⁰	22	16.27	6.30	84	13.56	5.29	2.71 (0.09 to 5.33)	p = 0.042
Schultz et al¹¹	10	10.5		10	18.9		−8.4	“p value NS”
Weight change: birth to 1 month (g/week)
Davies⁹	34	135.3	59.8	34	171.8	61.6	−36.5 (−65.9 to −7.1)	p = 0.016
Weight change: 1 to 2 months (g/week)
Davies⁹	34	225.3	85.8	34	242.4	69.9	−17.1 (−55.0 to 20.8)	p = 0.37
Change in head circumference (mm/week)
Gross¹²	40	8.4	1.3	20	8.8	2.2	−0.4 (−1.3 to 0.5)	p = 0.38
>2 weeks after regaining birth weight
Lucas et al^13,¹⁹	83	8.96	3.22	76	10.43	4.9	−1.47 (−2.73 to −0.21)	p = 0.026	142	9.1	2.1	144	10.5	3.5	−1.4 (−2.1 to −0.7)	p = 0.0001
From birth to 1 month
Davies⁹	34	6.7	1.6	34	7.0	1.4	−0.3 (−1.0 to 0.4)	p = 0.41
From 1 to 2 months
Davies⁹	34	6.9	2.2	34	7.7	1.8	−0.8 (−1.8 to 0.2)	p = 0.106
Between start of enteral feeds and 36 weeks’ gestation
Putet et al²⁴	6	10	2	6	11	1	−1 (−3.0 to 1.0)	p = 0.30