Calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper, compositions of human milk from populations with cereal and 'enset' based diets.
BACKGROUND
As breast milk is normally the only source of food in the early stages of life, the dietary levels of the essential elements in the milk of lactating mothers are significantly important. Ethiopia is a country of many nations and nationalities with distinct dietary habits. This variation in food habit may result in the variation of the nutritional quality of milk of lactating mothers who live in different part of the country, which in turn may affect the intake of nutrients by breast-fed infants. Therefore, a cross-sectional study of the levels of Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn and Cu in milk of mothers from societies with cereal and 'enset' based dietary habits was carried out to assess the influence of maternal diet on the levels of the elements in human milk.


METHODS
Milk samples were collected from 27 voluntary mothers in Jimma and in 18 rural areas of Welkite. Breast milk samples were collected within four days postpartum and the concentrations of the elements were determined by using FAAS.


RESULTS
Average concentrations (mg/L) of the elements determined in the milk of mothers from Jimma and rural Welkite respectively were: Ca (758 ± 107, 579 ± 168); Mg (22.6 ± 7.87, 30.5 ± 13.4); Fe (0.50 ± 0.08, 0.41 ± 0.17); Zn (2.3 ± 1.2, 2.49 ± 0.88) and Cu (0.28 ± 0.14, 0.16 ± 0.08).


CONCLUSIONS
Milk samples from Jimma were found to have significantly higher levels of Ca and Cu than those of rural Welkite (P < 0.05). Breast milk Ca and Cu levels were thus found to be influenced by dietary intake.
Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Muluwork
M
Maru
Tarekegn
T
Birhanu
Dejene A
DA
Tessema
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D002523:Edible Grain; D031750:Eragrostis; D005002:Ethiopia; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D007774:Lactation; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D028522:Musaceae; D009753:Nutritive Value; D028321:Plant Preparations; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
D028321:Plant Preparations; D014131:Trace Elements; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D008274:Magnesium; D015032:Zinc; D002118:Calcium
Essential elements; Ethiopia; Human milk; Jimma; Welkite; ‘Enset’; ‘Teff’