Objective: To determine vitamin A (retinol) and fat concentrations in breast milk during early lactation. Methods: Healthy lactating women (n 88) aged between 18 and 35 years were randomly selected for the study from urban, semi-urban, rural and estate (plantation) sectors of Galle District. Their anthropometry was recorded; breast milk samples were collected from the right breast one hour after the last feed. Breast milk retinol was determined by HPLC and fat content by the crematocrit method. Results: Subjects were in the 2nd to 9th month of lactation. Retinol concentrations of the breast milk samples ranged from 0?10 to 2?46 mmol/l, with a mean of 0?50 mmol/l, and correlated positively with parity (Pearson correlation coefficient, r 5 0?307; P 5 0?01) and negatively with period of lactation (r 5 20?209; P 5 0?05). The fat content of breast milk ranged between 5?09 and 56?46 g/l with a mean of 26?95 g/l. A significant difference in either breast milk fat or retinol content and mean birth weight of the babies was not seen between the groups. The ratio of retinol to fat in breast milk was positively correlated with weight (r 5 0?274; P 5 0?01) and height (r 5 0?328; P , 0?001) of the mothers. Conclusions: In this primary investigation on breast milk quality the fat content was found to be marginal; the majority of lactating mothers (92?0 %) were not providing the minimum daily requirement (1?05 mmol/l) of retinol to their babies. Keywords Breast milk fat and retinolLactating women Period of lactation Breast milk is a natural source of vitamin A and its close association with maternal vitamin A intake is well established (1) . Vitamin A-deficient lactating mothers may not have enough vitamin A in breast milk to maintain and build body reserves in their rapidly growing infants (2) . Vitamin A intake and status during the third trimester of pregnancy affect the retinol concentration in breast milk (3) .Vitamin A in breast milk is found almost exclusively in fat; thus factors that can affect breast milk fat concentration may affect the vitamin A concentration as well (4) . Fat is the macronutrient in milk that varies most in concentration and has been shown to be higher in well-nourished mothers than in their poorly nourished counterparts (5) . Fat concentration is higher in mature milk than in colostrum, and somewhat higher in breast milk of mothers from affluent compared with poor societies (6) .In Sri Lanka, no data are available on breast milk quality. The present study was therefore designed to assess the vitamin A (retinol) and fat concentrations of breast milk during 3-7 months of lactation and to determine any variation in the levels among women living in different geographical settings. We hypothesized that the economic and nutritional status of the subjects would be different in different settings of the study population and that the contents of vitamin A and fatty acids of breast milk would show differences according to the stratum to which the lactating mother belonged. Sample and methods SampleT...
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