Experimental and quasi-experimental studies of the effects of hindmilk on the growth and development of preterm infants were eligible for inclusion.
Participants in the review were premature babies. Birth weight in the only study for which this was reported was less than 1,800 grams. All studies apparently used expressed human hindmilk; in half of the studies this was described as fortified. Hindmilk was administered for one or two weeks (where reported). Controls (where relevant) received composite or fortified composite milk. Outcomes reported in the included studies were changes in weight, length, head circumference and body fat. No studies reported neurodevelopment. Study duration (where reported) was two weeks. Study designs varied; one study used a crossover design in which infants received composite milk in the first week and hindmilk in the second week. Half of the studies were set in Nigeria.
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review.