| Methods |
Blinding of randomisation: yes
Blinding of intervention: yes
Complete follow‐up: yes
Blinding of outcome measurement: yes |
| Participants |
47 preterm infants of birth weight less than 1300 grams were enrolled at between 7 and 10 days after birth. Infants receiving (or likely to receive) any human milk were ineligible. Other exclusion criteria: maternal drug misuse, major congenital anomalies, intracerebral or intraventricular haemorrhage, persisting need for ventilatory support, enteral feed intolerance, frequent apnoeas, patent ductus arteriosus. |
| Interventions |
Treatment (N=23): Adapted cow milk formula supplemented with taurine (45 milligrams/litre).
Control (N=24): Same milk without taurine supplementation (taurine concentration less than 5 milligrams per litre).
Allocated formula continued until infants were discharged from hospital, or attained a weight of 2500 grams, or were withdrawn from the study. |
| Outcomes |
Growth, feed intolerance and necrotising enterocolitis, electroretinography, auditory evoked potentials. |
| Notes |
Setting: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, USA. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Allocation concealment? |
Low risk |
A ‐ Adequate |
