The levels of zinc in breast milk of urban African women in Zimbabwe.

Two hundred and eighty milk samples expressed by healthy African women who had pre-term or full-term delivery, were digested using the wet digestion method. The digests were analysed for zinc (Zn) using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Mean Zn level in colostrum was 8.2 +/- 1.02 micrograms/ml in transitional milk 4.33 +/- 0.134 micrograms/ml and in mature milk 0.38 +/- 0.03 micrograms/ml. The ranges were 1.4-21.7, 0.3-9.8 and 0.2-2.4 micrograms/ml in colostrum, transitional and mature milk respectively. The figures obtained agreed with some previous findings in which it was found that Zn levels decreased with progression in lactation.