title: Levels of calcium, aluminium and chromium in serum of exclusively breastfed infants at six months of age in Savannah region of Nigeria.
abstract: This study was undertaken to determine the levels of calcium, aluminium and chromium in the serum of apparently healthy exclusively breastfed infants at the sixth month of lactation. Forty-five infants (with a male:female ratio 2:1) were studied. They were of an average age six months and one week, weighed 6.8-10.0 kg. The mean calcium levels of 83.92 ug/ml (2.1 mmol/L) obtained is within the reference range (2.1-2.5 mmol/L) in this area. The mean level of chromium was 0.11 u/ml while that of aluminium is significantly (P < 0.001) higher than the toxic level reported by some workers, yet none of the subject was manifesting any obvious signs of toxicity. We can then infer from our data that the exclusively breastfed infants are able to extract enough calcium, aluminium and chromium from the maternal breastmilk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Okolo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okonji
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ogbonna
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Ezeogu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Onwuanaku
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D001835:Body Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D002857:Chromium / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry; D009549:Nigeria; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D002857:Chromium; D000535:Aluminum; D002118:Calcium