Organic and inorganic selenium supplementation to lactating mothers increase the blood and milk Se concentrations and Se intake by breast-fed infants.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of selenium (Se) supplementation to lactating women on Se concentrations and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in blood components of mothers and breast-fed infants and on milk Se levels and Se intake by breast-fed infants. Lactating mothers were supplied for 3 months with 200 micrograms Se/day in the form of yeast-Se (Y-Se) and sodium selenite. Initial blood and plasma Se levels of all women (n = 67) were 76.6 and 53.2 micrograms/L, respectively. After 3 months Se concentrations both in whole blood and in plasma from mothers and infants were significantly higher than the initial values. Y-Se exerts a stronger effects than selenite on blood and plasma Se levels. Initial milk Se concentration was 8.9 micrograms/L and after 1 month in both groups in reached a plateau at 14-16 micrograms/L. This resulted in an increase of Se intake in breast-fed infants from 6.1 to a plateau of 11-13 micrograms Se/day. GSH-Px activities in plasma and red cells of Y-Se group increased significantly and reached a plateau after 1 and 2 months, respectively, while in the selenite group the enzyme activities increased steadily throughout the entire period of the study. Selenite exerts a stronger effect on GSH-Px both in maternal and in infant blood components as compared with Y-Se. In milk the GSH-Px activity in the Y-Se group did not change during the study, while in the selenite group after 3 months it increased almost 2-fold compared to the initial value. In conclusion, this study shows that organic Se causes higher Se deposition than did the inorganic form.
Trafikowska
U
U
Department of Biochemistry, University School of Medical Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Sobkowiak
E
E
Butler
J A
JA
Whanger
P D
PD
Zachara
B A
BA
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016566:Organoselenium Compounds / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*
D016566:Organoselenium Compounds; D018036:Selenium Compounds; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D012643:Selenium