Maru Muluwork, Birhanu Tarekegn, Tessema Dejene A
Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Ethiop J Health Sci. 2013 Jul;23(2):90-7.
As breast milk is normally the only source of food in the early stages of life, the dietary levels of the essential elements in the milk of lactating mothers are significantly important. Ethiopia is a country of many nations and nationalities with distinct dietary habits. This variation in food habit may result in the variation of the nutritional quality of milk of lactating mothers who live in different part of the country, which in turn may affect the intake of nutrients by breast-fed infants. Therefore, a cross-sectional study of the levels of Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn and Cu in milk of mothers from societies with cereal and 'enset' based dietary habits was carried out to assess the influence of maternal diet on the levels of the elements in human milk.
Milk samples were collected from 27 voluntary mothers in Jimma and in 18 rural areas of Welkite. Breast milk samples were collected within four days postpartum and the concentrations of the elements were determined by using FAAS.
Average concentrations (mg/L) of the elements determined in the milk of mothers from Jimma and rural Welkite respectively were: Ca (758 ± 107, 579 ± 168); Mg (22.6 ± 7.87, 30.5 ± 13.4); Fe (0.50 ± 0.08, 0.41 ± 0.17); Zn (2.3 ± 1.2, 2.49 ± 0.88) and Cu (0.28 ± 0.14, 0.16 ± 0.08).
Milk samples from Jimma were found to have significantly higher levels of Ca and Cu than those of rural Welkite (P < 0.05). Breast milk Ca and Cu levels were thus found to be influenced by dietary intake.
由于母乳通常是生命早期唯一的食物来源，哺乳期母亲乳汁中必需元素的膳食水平极为重要。埃塞俄比亚是一个拥有众多民族且饮食习惯各异的国家。这种饮食习惯的差异可能导致该国不同地区哺乳期母亲乳汁营养质量的差异，进而可能影响母乳喂养婴儿的营养摄入。因此，开展了一项横断面研究，以评估母亲饮食对人乳中元素水平的影响，该研究针对来自以谷物和“埃塞俄比亚蕉”为基础饮食习惯社会的母亲乳汁中的钙、镁、铁、锌和铜水平进行了检测。
从吉姆马的27名志愿母亲以及韦尔凯特的18个农村地区采集了乳汁样本。产后四天内收集母乳样本，并使用火焰原子吸收光谱法（FAAS）测定元素浓度。
分别在吉姆马和韦尔凯特农村地区母亲乳汁中测定的元素平均浓度（mg/L）为：钙（758±107，579±168）；镁（22.6±7.87，30.5±13.4）；铁（0.50±0.08，0.41±0.17）；锌（2.3±1.2，2.49±0.88）和铜（0.28±0.14，0.16±0.08）。
发现吉姆马的乳汁样本中钙和铜的水平显著高于韦尔凯特农村地区（P<0.05）。因此，发现母乳中的钙和铜水平受饮食摄入的影响。
