Buyer protection
Research on donkey milk · Study 13
How did the children grow?
In 2020, Peila et al. compared the weight, length and head circumference of children from the FortiLat study at a corrected age of 18 months. In hospital, their mother's milk had been fortified with a fortifier based on donkey milk or on cow's milk.
What it's about
What remains from the early start
In hospital, preterm infants receive breast milk enriched with a fortifier – an additive with protein, energy and minerals. In the FortiLat study, a specially developed fortifier made from donkey milk components was compared with a standard cow's-milk-based fortifier. Both feeding regimens were designed for the same energy and protein intake.
An important measure of how children develop after an early start is their growth. This follow-up therefore compared weight, length and head circumference at 18 months.
The work comes from the neonatology department of the University of Turin.
What exactly was studied?
Briefly explained
The terms used in this study
An additive used to enrich breast milk for preterm infants with protein, energy and minerals.
Age counted from the calculated due date. This allows preterm infants to be compared fairly with children of the same age.
The study of physical growth. Here it concerns weight, length and head circumference.
Shows how far a value deviates from the median of the WHO growth curves. 0 corresponds to the median, −1 is one standard deviation below.
156 preterm infants were randomly assigned to one of the two fortifiers.
In hospital they received breast milk with the respective fortifier.
At a corrected age of 18 months (± 3 months), weight, length and head circumference were measured.
The values of 122 children were compared between the groups as WHO z-scores.
Interactive · The data at a glance
Three measures, two groups
Who was re-measured, and where did the children lie compared with the WHO growth curves? Switch between the views.
Mean z-score at 18 months
Illustration of the mean values reported in the original publication (unadjusted). The arrangement of the dots is schematic.
Key findings
What the researchers report
Close to the WHO median
For head circumference, both groups were on average roughly within the WHO reference range.
Both groups smaller on average
Both groups were on average smaller than the WHO median – to a similar extent.
Both groups lighter on average
For weight, too, both groups were on average below the WHO median, with no difference between the groups.
The groups already differed in some growth characteristics at birth. The researchers took this into account in supplementary, adjusted analyses; there too, no significant difference was found. The absence of a significant difference is not proof of equivalence and not evidence of better growth promotion.
Critical assessment
Similar growth – no growth advantage
What the study shows
What it does not show
Research question for DON DONKEY’S®
What must a raw material for clinical specialty nutrition deliver?
In the FortiLat study, donkey milk was processed into a standardised, freeze-dried specialty product. For us, this is a reason to document the composition and quality of our milk as precisely as possible.
Original publication
The “Fortilat” Randomized Clinical Trial Follow-Up: Auxological Outcome at 18 Months of Age
Peila C., Spada E., Bertino E., Deantoni S., Percivati F., Moro G. E., Giribaldi M., Cavallarin L., Cresi F., Coscia A.
Nutrients · 2020 · 12(12):3730
Neonatology, University of Turin, Italian Association of Human Milk Banks, CNR-ISPA, CREA
DOI: 10.3390/nu12123730
Full text: PMC7761645
The publication describes a follow-up of the FortiLat study with a specialty product for preterm infants. It does not allow any statement about donkey milk as a food or any product-related statement for DON DONKEY’S®.
From our shop
DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk
100 % donkey milk · raw milk, frozen
On this page we report the findings of a published study. Independently of that, you will find our donkey milk here: 100 % donkey milk, frozen as raw milk.
100 ml bottle / 100ml · Unit price: €249,00 / 1 l · incl. VAT, plus shipping