Breast Milk Composition Analysis

In an attempt to find all published literature on the topic, studies relating to breast milk content in premature and mature milk were identified through computerized searches. First searches were conducted in MedLine and Embase for studies published in any language using the following Medical Subject Headings and text words: human, milk, lactation, breast milk, breast milk, protein, energy calories, lactose, oligosaccharide(s), fat, calcium, phosphorus, and infant, premature, preterm, neonate, or newborn, independently by the two investigators (DG and TRF) in March 2014. In an effort to include all available studies, a Web of Science search was conducted for all papers that cited the references Schanler et al. 1980 [14 (link)] and Atkinson SA et al. 1980 [15 (link)] (by DG). A grey literature search was also conducted to avoid reporting bias and look for unpublished literature (by DG) in March 2014. We reviewed the reference lists of included papers.
The inclusion criteria were: studies that reported on analysis of energy, macronutrient (protein, fat, lactose) and/or mineral (calcium, phosphorus) content in the breast milk of healthy, term (37–42 wk of gestation) and preterm (<37 wk of gestation) infants, if the data were reported categorized by postnatal age and term versus preterm status. Review articles and commentaries were excluded. Studies conducted in developing countries (i.e. outside North America, Europe, Australia, Israel and Japan [16 ]) were excluded in an attempt to exclude mothers with suboptimal nutritional status. The Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) Proposal for Reporting [17 (link)] was used to guide this study.