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Donor human milk for very low birth weight infants

Milk donated by other mothers, pasteurised and given to very low birth weight babies when their own mother's milk is not enough. In the DoMINO trial in Ontario, Canada, babies who got donor milk did not score better on tests of thinking and learning at 18 months than babies who got preterm formula.

  • Intervention
  • In this atlas

Overview

Technical summary

DoMINO (JAMA 2016; ISRCTN35317141): 363 very low birth weight infants randomised to nutrient-enriched donor milk or preterm formula as a supplement to mother's milk for 90 days or until discharge. The primary outcome, the Bayley-III cognitive composite at 18 months' corrected age, did not differ significantly (fully adjusted mean difference -2.0, 95% confidence interval -5.8 to 1.8). The authors say that if donor milk is used where mother's milk is plentiful, this outcome should not be a treatment goal. The page does not weigh other reasons for using donor milk. The paper was read as a PubMed abstract only. The recipient is the infant.

About this intervention

Type
Lifestyle
Mechanism
Not reported

Claims and evidence

Context Very low birth weight infants in four neonatal units in Ontario, Canada, fed donor milk or preterm formula as a supplement (DoMINO)

Recipient
Newborn
Population
Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants recruited from four neonatal units in Ontario, Canada, within 96 hours of birth between October 2010 and December 2012, whose mother's milk was not enough. The abstract reports a mean birth weight of 996 g (SD 272) and a mean gestational age of 27.7 weeks (SD 2.6).
Care setting
Four neonatal units in Ontario, Canada (pragmatic, double-blind, randomised trial).
Geography
Ontario, Canada
Life stage
Newborn period, with neurodevelopment assessed at 18 months' corrected age
Gestational age
Not reported
Postnatal age
Not reported
Follow-up
Infants were fed donor milk or formula for 90 days or until discharge when mother's milk was unavailable; follow-up was completed in July 2015.
Eligibility: 2 inclusion criteria; 1 exclusion criterion
Included
  • Very low birth weight infants
  • Recruited within 96 hours of birth
Excluded
  • Not stated in the source that was read

  • Effect Interventional Certainty not assessed

    In the DoMINO trial, very low birth weight infants recruited from four neonatal units in Ontario, Canada within 96 hours of birth received nutrient-enriched donor milk or preterm formula for 90 days or until discharge when mother's milk was unavailable. Of 840 eligible infants, 363 (43.2%) were randomised (181 to donor milk and 182 to preterm formula). The cognitive composite score on the Bayley-III at 18 months' corrected age, the primary outcome, was 92.9 in the donor milk group and 94.5 in the formula group (fully adjusted mean difference -2.0; 95% confidence interval -5.8 to 1.8). Language and motor composite scores also showed no statistically significant difference, nor did the mortality and morbidity index (43% in the donor milk group, 40% in the formula group) or changes in growth z scores. The authors conclude that donor milk compared with formula did not improve neurodevelopment at 18 months' corrected age.

    Applies to Newborn
    • Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants recruited from four neonatal units in Ontario, Canada, within 96 hours of birth between October 2010 and December 2012, whose mother's milk was not enough. The abstract reports a mean birth weight of 996 g (SD 272) and a mean gestational age of 27.7 weeks (SD 2.6).
    • Four neonatal units in Ontario, Canada (pragmatic, double-blind, randomised trial).
    • Ontario, Canada
    • Newborn period, with neurodevelopment assessed at 18 months' corrected age
    • Gestational age Not reported
    • Postnatal age Not reported
    Follow-up Infants were fed donor milk or formula for 90 days or until discharge when mother's milk was unavailable; follow-up was completed in July 2015.
    Certainty method
    Not assessed
    Limitations
    Only the PubMed abstract was read; the full text was not. This is a null primary result: donor milk did not improve the primary outcome. 299 of the surviving infants (92%) had neurodevelopment assessed. The authors add that if donor milk is used in settings with a high supply of mother's milk, this outcome should not be considered a treatment goal. The trial was registered as ISRCTN35317141. The trial tested donor milk as a supplement to mother's milk; it does not compare donor milk with mother's own milk.
    Last checked
    2026-10-15
    Next evidence check due
    Not scheduled
    Sources and citations (18)

    1. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, OBJECTIVE, sentence 1, fragment 1 of 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    2. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, OBJECTIVE, sentence 1, fragment 2 of 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    3. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS, sentence 1, fragment 1 of 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    4. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS, sentence 1, fragment 2 of 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    5. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, INTERVENTIONS, sentence 1
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    6. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES, sentence 1, fragment 1 of 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    7. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 1
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    8. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 3, fragment 1 of 5
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    9. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 3, fragment 2 of 5
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    10. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 3, fragment 3 of 5
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    11. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 3, fragment 4 of 5
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    12. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 3, fragment 5 of 5
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    13. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 4, fragment 1 of 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    14. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 4, fragment 2 of 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    15. Supports Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE, sentence 1
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    16. Background Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE, sentence 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract (context for the claim).
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    17. Background Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, TRIAL REGISTRATION, sentence 1
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract (context for the claim).
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    18. Background Effect of Supplemental Donor Human Milk Compared With Preterm Formula on Neurodevelopment of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants at 18 Months: A Randomized Clinical Trial

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities. The full text and the version of record were not fetched. · Published 2016-11-08 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.16144 · PMID: 27825008

      Locator
      Abstract, RESULTS, sentence 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract (context for the claim).
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      9ea033d8c579bca0b6fb9264eb75992e9c3062f1c6a2d0f1b42cbbae1b67b851
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

Clinical links

Each link reports what one cited claim says about one population. "Evaluated for" means studied, not shown to work. These links do not show that anything is effective or right for you.

Record details

Record id
maternal:donor-human-milk
Content hash
cf82cd92b324fceba573d9e6aa05df1f1386afcc62c6e77c0f38068d38aab58d