title: Lower energy content of human milk than calculated using conversion factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bodyweight gain of formula-fed babies is usually higher than that of breast-fed ones. The energy content of human milk is usually quantified not by direct measurement but by calculation based on The Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. For this study, the energy of human milk was quantified in two ways, using a direct measurement and a calculation method.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 227 milk samples (192 colostrum, 21 transitional milk, and 14 mature milk) were collected from 114 healthy women. Energy of the whole milk was measured by ballistic bomb calorimetry. The content of protein, fat, and carbohydrate was determined by direct measurement methods. Energy of the milk was also calculated according to the indices in The Standard Tables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean value for all milk samples of directly measured energy was significantly lower than that of the calculated energy (58.1 +/- 8.1 vs. 64.5 +/- 10.6 kcal/100 g, n = 227, P < 0.05). Similar results were observed in colostrum and transitional milk but not in mature milk. Measured energy in mature milk was significantly higher than that in colostrum (64.2 +/- 3.6 vs. 57.1 +/- 8.0 kcal/100 g, P < 0.05). Protein concentration in mature milk was significantly lower than that in colostrum (1.4 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.2 +/- 0.7 g/100 g, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The measured energy content of human milk was lower than the calculated energy based upon the Standard Tables, suggesting that formula milk contains excessive energy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan. 61030012@nodai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hosoi
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honma
authors.forename: Takaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daimatsu
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiyokawa
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aikawa
authors.forename: Shaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002151:Calorimetry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007225:Infant Food; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015430:Weight Gain