Abstract
Background: Little is known about the regulation of iron, zinc, and copper in breast milk and the transport of these minerals across the mammary gland epithelium. Objective: The objective was to study associations between breast-milk concentrations of iron, zinc, and copper and maternal mineral status. Design: Milk samples from 191 Swedish and Honduran mothers were collected at 9 mo postpartum. Iron, zinc, and copper concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Blood samples from mothers were analyzed for plasma zinc and copper and 4 indexes of iron status: hemoglobin, plasma ferritin, soluble transferrin receptors, and zinc protoporphyrin. Complementary food energy (CFE) intake was used as an inverse proxy for breast-milk intake. Results: Mean (±SD) breast-milk concentrations of iron were lower in the Honduran than in the Swedish mothers (0.21 ± 0.25 compared with 0.29 ± 0.21 mg/L; P < 0.001), and mean breastmilk concentrations of zinc and copper were higher in the Honduran than in the Swedish mothers [0.70 ± 0.18 compared with 0.46 ± 0.26 mg/L (P < 0.001) and 0.16 ± 0.21 compared with 0.12 ± 0.22 mg/L (P = 0.001), respectively]. Milk iron was positively correlated with CFE intake (r = 0.24, P = 0.001) but was not significantly correlated with any iron-status variable. Milk zinc was negatively correlated with CFE intake (r = -0.24, P = 0.001) but was not significantly correlated with maternal plasma zinc. Milk copper was not significantly correlated with CFE intake or maternal plasma copper. Conclusions: Milk iron, zinc, and copper concentrations at 9 mo postpartum are not associated with maternal mineral status, which suggests active transport mechanisms in the mammary gland for all 3 minerals. Milk iron concentrations decrease and milk zinc concentrations increase during weaning.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 111-115 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jan 2004 |
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Keywords
- Breastfeeding
- Copper
- Human milk
- Iron
- Mammary gland
- Zinc
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Food Science
Cite this
Iron, zinc, and copper concentrations in breast milk are independent of maternal mineral status. / Domellöf, Magnus; Lönnerdal, Bo; Dewey, Kathryn G.; Cohen, Roberta J.; Hernell, Olle.
In: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 79, No. 1, 01.2004, p. 111-115.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Iron, zinc, and copper concentrations in breast milk are independent of maternal mineral status
AU - Domellöf, Magnus
AU - Lönnerdal, Bo
AU - Dewey, Kathryn G.
AU - Cohen, Roberta J.
AU - Hernell, Olle
PY - 2004/1
Y1 - 2004/1
N2 - Background: Little is known about the regulation of iron, zinc, and copper in breast milk and the transport of these minerals across the mammary gland epithelium. Objective: The objective was to study associations between breast-milk concentrations of iron, zinc, and copper and maternal mineral status. Design: Milk samples from 191 Swedish and Honduran mothers were collected at 9 mo postpartum. Iron, zinc, and copper concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Blood samples from mothers were analyzed for plasma zinc and copper and 4 indexes of iron status: hemoglobin, plasma ferritin, soluble transferrin receptors, and zinc protoporphyrin. Complementary food energy (CFE) intake was used as an inverse proxy for breast-milk intake. Results: Mean (±SD) breast-milk concentrations of iron were lower in the Honduran than in the Swedish mothers (0.21 ± 0.25 compared with 0.29 ± 0.21 mg/L; P < 0.001), and mean breastmilk concentrations of zinc and copper were higher in the Honduran than in the Swedish mothers [0.70 ± 0.18 compared with 0.46 ± 0.26 mg/L (P < 0.001) and 0.16 ± 0.21 compared with 0.12 ± 0.22 mg/L (P = 0.001), respectively]. Milk iron was positively correlated with CFE intake (r = 0.24, P = 0.001) but was not significantly correlated with any iron-status variable. Milk zinc was negatively correlated with CFE intake (r = -0.24, P = 0.001) but was not significantly correlated with maternal plasma zinc. Milk copper was not significantly correlated with CFE intake or maternal plasma copper. Conclusions: Milk iron, zinc, and copper concentrations at 9 mo postpartum are not associated with maternal mineral status, which suggests active transport mechanisms in the mammary gland for all 3 minerals. Milk iron concentrations decrease and milk zinc concentrations increase during weaning.
AB - Background: Little is known about the regulation of iron, zinc, and copper in breast milk and the transport of these minerals across the mammary gland epithelium. Objective: The objective was to study associations between breast-milk concentrations of iron, zinc, and copper and maternal mineral status. Design: Milk samples from 191 Swedish and Honduran mothers were collected at 9 mo postpartum. Iron, zinc, and copper concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Blood samples from mothers were analyzed for plasma zinc and copper and 4 indexes of iron status: hemoglobin, plasma ferritin, soluble transferrin receptors, and zinc protoporphyrin. Complementary food energy (CFE) intake was used as an inverse proxy for breast-milk intake. Results: Mean (±SD) breast-milk concentrations of iron were lower in the Honduran than in the Swedish mothers (0.21 ± 0.25 compared with 0.29 ± 0.21 mg/L; P < 0.001), and mean breastmilk concentrations of zinc and copper were higher in the Honduran than in the Swedish mothers [0.70 ± 0.18 compared with 0.46 ± 0.26 mg/L (P < 0.001) and 0.16 ± 0.21 compared with 0.12 ± 0.22 mg/L (P = 0.001), respectively]. Milk iron was positively correlated with CFE intake (r = 0.24, P = 0.001) but was not significantly correlated with any iron-status variable. Milk zinc was negatively correlated with CFE intake (r = -0.24, P = 0.001) but was not significantly correlated with maternal plasma zinc. Milk copper was not significantly correlated with CFE intake or maternal plasma copper. Conclusions: Milk iron, zinc, and copper concentrations at 9 mo postpartum are not associated with maternal mineral status, which suggests active transport mechanisms in the mammary gland for all 3 minerals. Milk iron concentrations decrease and milk zinc concentrations increase during weaning.
KW - Breastfeeding
KW - Copper
KW - Human milk
KW - Iron
KW - Mammary gland
KW - Zinc
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=2642534875&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 14684406
AN - SCOPUS:2642534875
VL - 79
SP - 111
EP - 115
JO - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
JF - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
SN - 0002-9165
IS - 1
ER -