Mineral and Vitamin Intakes of Latvian Women during Lactation Period

Alīna Beluško,Inga Ciproviča,Līva Aumeistere,Dace Zavadska

doi:10.3390/foods11030259

Alīna Beluško, Inga Ciproviča + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11030259

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Abstract

Studies from Europe and the United States indicate that women during the lactation period do not consume sufficient amounts of essential micronutrients. Previously reported data from Latvia indicates a low vegetable, fruit, fish, cereal, and milk and dairy products intake among lactating women. This raises concerns that nutrient (especially minerals and vitamins) intakes could also be insufficient. Therefore, this study aimed to assess mineral and vitamin intakes among lactating women in Latvia in comparison to nutritional guidelines at both a national and European level. 72-h food diaries were collected from 62 participants during the period November 2016 till December 2017 and from 68 participants during the period from January 2020 to December 2020. This also allowed us to evaluate whether nutrient intakes among lactating women in Latvia have changed in recent years. The Fineli Food Composition Database was used to calculate micronutrient intakes among the participants. MS Excel 2019 and IBM SPSS Statistics 23 were used for the statistical data analysis. The results revealed that dietary intakes of calcium, iron, iodine, and vitamins A, D, B1, and B9 among the participants of both study periods did not meet dietary recommendations. Low mineral and vitamin intakes could potentially affect the composition of human milk, and therefore micronutrient intakes, for breastfed infants. This indicates a need to develop dietary guidelines in order to improve diets among lactating women in Latvia.

Highlights

This cross-sectional study was performed in two intervals, allowing us to compare the diet of lactating women in Latvia within recent years
Previously conducted research in Latvia indicates that women during the lactation period have an inadequate intake of vegetables, fruits, berries, cereal products, milk and dairy products, and fish [15]
We report a higher magnesium intake among the lactating women compared to data from Croatia and United States [11,12], but this is probably related to the additional magnesium intake via dietary supplements that was reported among the study participants

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. For approximately 20% of the infants in Latvia, human milk is the sole nutrient source in the first six months of life [1]. It is important that human milk contains a sufficient amount of nutrients required for the adequate growth and development of the infant [2]. Nutrients for human milk are derived from maternal nutrition [2]. A healthy diverse diet and sufficient nutrient intake for women during the lactation period are essential [3,4]

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