title: Trace element compositional changes in human milk during the first four months of lactation.
abstract: The aims of this paper were to evaluate changes in specific oligoelements in human milk during the first four months of lactation and to correlate such changes with total antioxidant status (TAS) and other parameters, such as the mother's age, primipara versus multipara, and supplement intake. Milk samples were collected from 31 lactating women following 1, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after birth. Trace levels of 13 elements were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results obtained for the oligoelements exhibited a decrease in concentration from 7 days to 4 months of breast-feeding, with exceptions. Correlations were found between TAS and Co, V, Rb and Tl. Between primipara and multipara, differences were found for Ni and Rb. Regarding the mother's age, correlation was found for Rb and Ba (increased for mothers older than 30 years). Increased amounts of Rb, Mo and Tl at any lactation period appeared in women who took supplements.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Fernando Pessoa , Porto , Portugal .
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moutinho
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Balcão
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D011174:Portugal; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements
keywords: Human milk; total antioxidant status; toxic metals; trace elements