α-Tocopherol in breast milk of women with preterm delivery after a single postpartum oral dose of vitamin E

Abstract

We evaluated the effect of maternal vitamin E supplementation on the α-tocopherol concentrations of colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk of women who had given birth prematurely. This longitudinal randomised-controlled trial divided eighty-nine women into two groups: a control group and a supplemented group. Blood and breast milk were collected from all the participants after delivery. Next, each woman in the supplemented group received 400 IU of RRR-α-tocopheryl acetate. Further breast milk samples were collected 24 h after the first collection, as well as 7 and 30 d after delivery. α-Tocopherol concentrations were determined by HPLC. The baseline α-tocopherol concentrations in the maternal serum of the two groups were similar: 1159·8 (SD 292·4) μg/dl (27·0 (SD 6·8) μmol/l) for the control group and 1128·3 (SD 407·2) μg/dl (26·2 (SD 9·5) μmol/l) for the supplemented group. None of the women was vitamin E deficient. Breast milk α-tocopherol concentrations increased by 60 % 24 h after supplementation in the intervention group and did not increase at all in the control group. α-Tocopherol concentration of the transitional milk in the supplemented group was 35 % higher compared with the control group. α-Tocopherol concentrations of the mature milk in both groups were similar. Maternal supplementation with 400 IU of RRR-α-tocopherol increased the vitamin E concentrations of the colostrum and transitional milk, but not of the mature milk. This study presents relevant information for the design of strategies to prevent and combat vitamin E deficiency in the risk group of preterm infants.

Effect of RRR‐α‐tocopherol supplementation on serum of breastfeeding women up to 60 days after delivery: a randomised controlled trial

“…vitamin E levels remained adequate in our study population, even in insufficient dietary intake situations. The mean serum a-tocopherol levels of both groups on each study occasion indicated appropriate nutritional status and agreed with previously reported data (13,16,21) . Sixty days after delivery, in agreement with the physiological behaviour of vitamin E (26) , the mean serum a-tocopherol levels of both groups decreased similarly.…”

α-Tocopherol and Hippocampal Neural Plasticity in Physiological and Pathological Conditions

“…Teratogenic potential of vitamin E is reportedly minor in both rodents and humans [44,53,58]; however, high maternal vitamin E intake was shown to correlate with an increased risk of congenital heart defects in offspring [59]. Moreover, concerns for the safety of massive α-T intake in pregnancy have to be extended to lactation, when α-T transfer is more efficient and more readily increased via maternal intake [60], as recently confirmed in humans [61,62,63]. …”

Retinol and α-Tocopherol in the Breast Milk of Women after a High-Risk Pregnancy

“…Although an inverse correlation has been reported between the concentration of retinol and α-tocopherol in colostrum [ 49 ], the current results evidence a positive correlation between these two vitamins, which implies the existence of suboptimal concentrations. This manifests the need for supplementation [ 50 ] to prevent deficiencies in any given population.…”

“…Furthermore, it is recommended that preterm neonates immediately begin enteral feeding with breast milk and, if possible, vitamin supplementation [ 55 ]. Indeed, clinical assays have been conducted in which pregnant women were given a supplement of RRR α-tocopherol acetate, resulting in a significantly elevated concentration of this vitamin in transition milk and mature milk, as well as in the mothers themselves who gave preterm birth [ 50 ].…”