Effect of Maternal Dietary Vitamin C Intake on the Level of Vitamin C in Breastmilk among Nursing Mothers in Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

The vitamin C content of breastmilk was investigated in a group of nursing mothers attending maternal and child health centers in Baghdad during 1998-2000. Two hundred healthy, nonsmoking, 28- to 38-year-old lactating women were studied. Individual samples of breastmilk were obtained for estimation of vitamin C. Dietary data were collected by using 24-hour food recalls. The mean intake of vitamin C was far below the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization requirement of 26 +/- 2.13 (SD) mg/day). The vitamin C content of breastmilk was significantly correlated with the maternal intake of vitamin C (r = 0.61, p < .01). The vitamin C content of breastmilk varied with the season. The level was much higher in summer (3.9 +/- 1.05 mg/100 ml) than in winter (3.02 +/- 2.01 mg/100 ml; p < .05). This fluctuation indicates the dependence of breastmilk vitamin C on dietary intake. The results show the need to increase the consumption of vegetables and fruits and to monitor maternal ascorbic acid intake.

Prenatal factors associated with the neonatal line thickness in human deciduous incisors

“…The composition of breast milk (vitamin C and D levels, contents of milk fatty acids) depends significantly on the mother's diet, which has been confirmed in studies by, among others, Basile et al (2006), Saadi et al (2009), Tawfeek et al (2002. The mother's diet may in turn vary seasonally (Watson and McDonald, 2007).…”

Influence of stage of lactation and year season on composition of mares' colostrum and milk and method and time of storage on vitamin C content in mares' milk

“…Hidiroglou et al observed that the concentration of vitamin C in cows' milk decreased with the progress of lactation. Human milk is a richer source of vitamin C than cows' milk and its content also changes with the stage of lactation and is greater in colostrum than in milk …”

“…Human milk is a richer source of vitamin C than cows' milk and its content also changes with the stage of lactation and is greater in colostrum than in milk. 49…”

Plasma Vitamin C Concentrations Were Negatively Associated with Tingling, Prickling or Pins and Needles Sensation in Patients with Postherpetic Neuralgia

“…The etiologies of vitamin C deficiency include low dietary intakes [ 17 ], increased requirements of vitamin C due to smoking [ 28 ] and lactation [ 29 ], decreased bioavailability of vitamin C resulting from peptic ulcer disease (PUD) [ 30 , 31 ], and convective/diffusive losses during dialysis as in chronic renal failure [ 32 ]. To the authors’ knowledge, no study has investigated the predictors associated with vitamin C deficiency defined by plasma concentrations (i.e., <6 mg/L or 34.1 μ mol/L) [ 33 ] in PHN patients.…”