BREAST MILK IRON—A DECLINING CONCENTRATION DURING THE COURSE OF LACTATION
- 21 January 1979
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Acta Paediatrica
- Vol. 68 (1), 29-31
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.1979.tb04425.x
Abstract
Siimes, M. A., Vuori E. and Kuiunen P. (Children's Hospital and Department of Public Health Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland). Breast milk iron—a declining concentration during the course of lactation. Acta Pædiatr Scand, 68: 29, 1979.—The present investigation is the first longitudinal study of the concentration of iron in breast milk and is based on 229 milk samples obtained from 27 mothers during their period of lactation up to 9 months. The samples were collected at the beginning and at the end of each feed during a 24-h period to reflect as accurately as possible the actual concentration of iron. The median value declined during the course of lactation from 0.6 to 0.3 mg/l with a large range of values. The results indicate that the concentration is lower than is generally stated or is unusually low in Finnish mothers. As a consequence some infants may require iron supplementation during prolonged breast feeding although in general, the high bioavailability of breast milk iron prevents the development of iron deficiency.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Iron Metabolism in InfantsActa Paediatrica, 2008
- THE CONCENTRATIONS OF COPPER AND ZINC IN HUMAN MILK A Longitudinal StudyActa Paediatrica, 1979
- Need for iron supplementation in infants on prolonged breast feedingThe Journal of Pediatrics, 1978
- Developmental changes in red blood cell counts and indices of infants after exclusion of iron deficiency by laboratory criteria and continuous iron supplementationThe Journal of Pediatrics, 1978
- Iron absorption in infants: High bioavailability ofbreast milk iron as indicated by the extrinsic tag method of iron absorption and by the concentration of serum ferritinThe Journal of Pediatrics, 1977
- Iron Sufficiency in Breast-Fed Infants and the Availability of Iron From Human MilkPediatrics, 1976
- Ferritin in Serum: Diagnosis of Iron Deficiency and Iron Overload in Infants and ChildrenBlood, 1974
- Cadmium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, and Zinc in Evaporated Milk, Infant Products, and Human MilkJournal of Dairy Science, 1971
- Intakes and Excretions of Iron, Copper, and Zinc in the Neonatal PeriodArchives of Disease in Childhood, 1964
- Über den Kupfergehalt der Nahrungsmittel des KindesEuropean Journal of Pediatrics, 1962