title: Trace elements (copper, zinc, manganese, and selenium) in plasma and erythrocytes in relation to dietary intake during infancy.
abstract: All determinations of copper, zinc, manganese, and selenium were performed with a flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Seventy-three full-term infants aged 1 to 52 weeks were divided into three age groups. Each age group contained two subgroups, breast-fed and formula-fed. No statistically significant differences between formula-fed and breast-fed subgroups were found in regard to the levels of copper and zinc in plasma and erythrocytes. At 1 to 5 weeks of age, the manganese concentration of erythrocytes was higher in formula-fed than in breast-fed infants (p less than 0.001). This might be due to the high dietary intake of this element in the formula-fed subgroup. On the other hand, plasma selenium concentrations were significantly higher in breast-fed than in formula-fed infants of all ages (p less than 0.01 at 1 to 5 weeks and p less than 0.05 at 6 to 52 weeks). This suggests that selenium compounds are biologically more available for infant nutrition in breast milk than in formula.
mesh_terms: D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008345:Manganese / Q000097:blood; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000502:physiology*; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood*; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D008345:Manganese; D003300:Copper; D012643:Selenium; D015032:Zinc