title: Breast milk vitamin B-12 concentrations in Guatemalan women are correlated with maternal but not infant vitamin B-12 status at 12 months postpartum.
abstract: In our previous studies, one-third of lactating Guatemalan women, infants, and children had deficient or marginal serum vitamin B-12 concentrations. Relationships among maternal and infant status and breast milk vitamin B-12, however, have not, to our knowledge, been investigated in such populations. Our purpose was to measure breast milk vitamin B-12 in Guatemalan women with a range of serum vitamin B-12 concentrations and explore associations between milk vitamin B-12 concentrations and maternal and infant vitamin B-12 intake and status. Participants were 183 mother-infant pairs breastfeeding at 12 mo postpartum. Exclusion criteria included mother <17 y, infant <11.5 or >12.5 mo, multiple birth, reported health problems in mother or infant, and mother pregnant >3 mo. Data collected on mothers and infants included anthropometry, serum and breast milk vitamin B-12, and dietary vitamin B-12. Serum vitamin B-12 concentrations indicated deficiency (<150 pmol/L) in 35% of mothers and 27% of infants and marginal status (150-220 pmol/L) in 35% of mothers and 17% of infants. In a multiple regression analysis, breast milk vitamin B-12 concentration was associated (P < 0.05) with both maternal vitamin B-12 intake (r = 0.26) and maternal serum vitamin B-12 (r = 0.30). Controlling for the number of breastfeeds per day and vitamin B-12 intake from complementary foods, infant serum vitamin B-12 was associated with maternal serum vitamin B-12 (r = 0.31; P < 0.001) but not breast milk vitamin B-12, implicating a long-term effect of pregnancy status on infant vitamin B-12 status at 12 mo postpartum.
authors: Family and Consumer Sciences, California State University, Sacramento, CA, USA. kldeegan@csus.edu
authors: Kathleen L
authors: KL
authors: Deegan
authors: Katherine M
authors: KM
authors: Jones
authors: Clara
authors: C
authors: Zuleta
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Ramirez-Zea
authors: Dorte L
authors: DL
authors: Lildballe
authors: Ebba
authors: E
authors: Nexo
authors: Lindsay H
authors: LH
authors: Allen
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006166:Guatemala; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014805:Vitamin B 12