Abstract
Objective
To study sialic acid and iron content in breastmilk in Chinese women during different lactation stages.
Methods
Sialic acid and iron content of colostrum, transitional milk, mature milk, and involutional milk were determined using a neuraminidase assay kit and the ferrozine method, respectively in 88 lactating women (58 Term, 30 Preterm).
Results
The mean (SD) sialic acid levels of colostrum, transitional milk, mature milk, and involutional milk were 2201.4 (676.6) mg/L, 1445.9 (423.4) mg/L, 395.3 (96.0) mg/L and 273.0 (76.9) mg/L, respectively. The median iron content were 0.05 mg/L, 0.06 mg/L, 0.25 mg/L and 0.35 mg/L, respectively, in successive stages of lactation. Sialic acid and iron were significantly higher in breast milk of preterm mothers compared to term mothers.
Conclusion
Sialic acid and iron content in breast milk vary greatly throughout the lactation stages, which probably reflects the infants’ needs for growth and development at different stages.
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Wang, HJ., Hua, CZ., Ruan, LL. et al. Sialic acid and iron content in breastmilk of Chinese lactating women. Indian Pediatr 54, 1029–1031 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-017-1206-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-017-1206-z