title: The effects of a dietary zinc supplement during lactation on longitudinal changes in maternal zinc status and milk zinc concentrations.
abstract: Dietary zinc intakes, selected biochemical indices of zinc status, and milk zinc concentrations were determined at monthly intervals throughout lactation for 53 middle-income lactating women, 14 of whom received a daily supplement of 15 mg zinc. Overall mean dietary zinc intake for the non-supplemented group (NZS) was 10.7 +/- 4.1 mg/day (mean +/- SD). The mean dietary zinc intake of the zinc supplemented group (ZS) was 12.2 +/- 3.5 mg/day, with an additional 12.8 +/- 1.5 mg/day from the supplement. For the NZS group, the highest mean plasma zinc concentration of 79 +/- 10 mu/dl, which occurred at month 4, was significantly less than the mean for non-lactating control women (86 +/- 10 micrograms/dl). ZS plasma zinc levels had a pattern similar to that of the NZS group for months 1-7. The rate of decline in milk zinc during lactation was significantly less for the ZS group compared to that of the NZS group (p = 0.02). It is concluded that milk zinc concentrations are influenced by maternal zinc intake within a physiological range and that the effects of low maternal intakes are most apparent with prolonged lactation.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D015032:Zinc