Effect of maternal anemia on breast milk iron status

Abstract

Objectives: Nutritional anemia is highly prevalent in lactating mothers. It is postulated that anemic pregnant women secrete less iron in their breast milk. This study was aimed to compare the iron levels in breast milk samples of anemic and non-anemic lactating pregnant women and to correlate breast milk iron levels with the hemoglobin (Hb) status of anemic and non-anemic mothers. Materials and Methods: A case–control study was conducted on 120 pregnant women aged 20–30 years having a normal antenatal history. They were classified into non-anemic and anemic groups based on their Hb status; Group 1: Hb ≥11 g/dl and Group 2: Hb 7–10.9 g/dl, respectively. Results: Maternal blood Hb was significantly different between the groups (11.8 ± 0.6 vs. 10.2 ± 0.5 g/dL, P > 0.05). Breast milk iron levels did not vary significantly between the groups (938.8 ± 465.6 vs. 1084.8 ± 440.8 μg/dl). No correlation was observed between maternal Hb levels of anemic lactating mothers and breast milk iron status (r = 0.054, P = 0.424). Conclusion: Our research study validates the finding that maternal anemia did not affect breast milk iron concentration during the early post-natal period by showing the optimum iron levels in it. Therefore, exclusive breastfeeding is the ideal nutrition for infants.