Article Sidebar
Published:
May 12, 2005Keywords:
Human milk trace element minerals Fulani nutrition
Article Details
Issue
Section
Articles
© 2023 The authors. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Main Article Content
Mineral Content Of The Milk Of Fulani Women And The Sera Of Their Breast-Fed Infants
Abstract
Objectives: TO evaluate the mineral and trace element content of breast milk of the Fulani of Nigeria with respect to levels obtained with sera from Fulani mother baby pairs.
Methods: We obtained milk and serum from 34 Fulani mother –infant pairs. The samples were collected through bimanual expression midway through feeding .The age, height, weight, skin –fold thickened, parity, and information regarding the general state of health of each subject were recorded. Following collection, milk and serum specimens were liquated in to 1.5ml cryovials and stored at 20om until which time they were analysed.
Results: The levels of calcium, chromium, copper , iron, magnesium ,manganese ,and zinc in the milk were within or exceeded the range of values reported for other populations world wide and were comparable to those of the United States. Copper, zinc ,iron, and calcium decreased in concentration by 550-75% over the first six month postgestation . copper and iron displayed a positive correction between their maternal sera and milk concentrations. No significant positive correction were observed between minerals in milk and the sera of nursing infants, in fact, a negative correction was observed with copper levels of those fluids. Further more , high milk concentration of zinc appeared to antagonize the absorption of copper in the breast –fed infants.
Conclusion: These finding indicate that the milk of Fulani women provides sufficient amounts of critical and trace elements to satisfy the needs of their exclusively breast-fed infant during the first six months of life. In addition, the concentration of each of these mineral in infant serum is not related to their respective levels in milk
Key words: Human milk, trace element, minerals, Fulani, nutrition.
Highland Medical Research Journal Vol.1(2) 2002: 6-11
Methods: We obtained milk and serum from 34 Fulani mother –infant pairs. The samples were collected through bimanual expression midway through feeding .The age, height, weight, skin –fold thickened, parity, and information regarding the general state of health of each subject were recorded. Following collection, milk and serum specimens were liquated in to 1.5ml cryovials and stored at 20om until which time they were analysed.
Results: The levels of calcium, chromium, copper , iron, magnesium ,manganese ,and zinc in the milk were within or exceeded the range of values reported for other populations world wide and were comparable to those of the United States. Copper, zinc ,iron, and calcium decreased in concentration by 550-75% over the first six month postgestation . copper and iron displayed a positive correction between their maternal sera and milk concentrations. No significant positive correction were observed between minerals in milk and the sera of nursing infants, in fact, a negative correction was observed with copper levels of those fluids. Further more , high milk concentration of zinc appeared to antagonize the absorption of copper in the breast –fed infants.
Conclusion: These finding indicate that the milk of Fulani women provides sufficient amounts of critical and trace elements to satisfy the needs of their exclusively breast-fed infant during the first six months of life. In addition, the concentration of each of these mineral in infant serum is not related to their respective levels in milk
Key words: Human milk, trace element, minerals, Fulani, nutrition.
Highland Medical Research Journal Vol.1(2) 2002: 6-11
