VITAMIN E IN HUMAN MILK AND ITS RELATION TO THE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENT OF THE TERM NEWBORN.

Anna Larissa Cortês Da Silva,Mayara Santa Rosa Lima,Jeane Franco Pires,Dalila Fernandes Bezerra,Karla Danielly Da Silva Ribeiro,Larisse Rayanne Miranda De Melo,Jaluza Luana Carvalho De Queiroz,Danielle Soares Bezerra,Mônica Maria Osório,Roberto Dimenstein

doi:10.1590/1984-0462/;2017;35;2;00015

Anna Larissa Cortês Da Silva, Mayara Santa Rosa Lima + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0462/;2017;35;2;00015

Copy DOI

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectives: To determine the alpha-tocopherol concentration in breast milk at different periods of lactation and to estimate the possible supply of vitamin E to the infant.Methods: A longitudinal observational study was carried out with 100 mothers at University Hospital Ana Bezerra (HUAB), at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, in Santa Cruz (RN), Northeast Brazil. Samples of colostrum (n=100), transitional milk (n=77), and mature milk (n=63) were collected. Alpha-tocopherol was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Vitamin supply to the newborn was estimated by comparing the nutritional requirement of vitamin E (4 mg/day) with the potential daily intake of milk.Results: The mean alpha-tocopherol concentration found in colostrum, transitional, and mature milk was 40.5±15.0 µmol/L, 13.9±5.2 µmol/L, and 8.0±3.8 µmol/L, respectively (p<0.001). The possible effect of these milks offered to the infant 6.2 mg/day of vitamin E in colostrum, 4.7 mg/day in transitional milk, and 2.7 mg/day in mature milk (p<0.0001), shows that only the mature milk did not guarantee the recommended quantity of this vitamin.Conclusions: Alpha-tocopherol levels in human milk decrease through the progression of lactation, and the possible intake of colostrum and transitional milk met the nutritional requirement of the infant. Mature milk may provide smaller amounts of vitamin E. Thus, it is important to study the factors that are associated with such low levels.

Highlights

Vitamin E, a nomenclature used to describe compounds with biological activity of alpha-tocopherol, is a micronutrient liposoluble of utmost importance to the early stages of life, because it acts in defense against oxygen toxicity in the extrauterine environment and offers limited placental transfer to the fetus during the gestational period
When it comes to longitudinal studies, few consider the analysis of the vitamin in the three stages of lactation–colostrum, transitional, and mature,[4,8,9], and this approach to estimate the supply of vitamin E for the infant is rarely done
The average concentration of alpha-tocopherol decreased throughout lactation, as 40.5±15.0 μmol/L was found in

Summary

Introduction

Vitamin E, a nomenclature used to describe compounds with biological activity of alpha-tocopherol, is a micronutrient liposoluble of utmost importance to the early stages of life, because it acts in defense against oxygen toxicity in the extrauterine environment and offers limited placental transfer to the fetus during the gestational period. Maternal milk is responsible for supplying the demand of this vitamin to the neonate in this initial period and during lactation[1,2] thereby protecting it from the development of signs and symptoms related to their disability, such as hemolytic anemia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, neurological dysfunction, and increased neonatal mortality.[3]. Some studies have determined the levels of alpha-tocopherol in breast milk while analyzing only one or two moments of lactation.[6,7] when it comes to longitudinal studies, few consider the analysis of the vitamin in the three stages of lactation–colostrum, transitional, and mature,[4,8,9], and this approach to estimate the supply of vitamin E for the infant is rarely done

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion