OBJECTIVES: to evaluate levels of alpha-tocopherol in the serum and breast-milk of women at various stages in lactation and to confirm whether nutritio nally appropriate levels of vitamin E are present in the milk given to the babies. METHODS: thirty-two child-bearing women with an average age of 25 years took part in the study. 5 mL of blood and 2 mL of colostrum were collected, under fasting conditions, for the purposes of analyzing the levels of alpha-tocopherol. Between 10 to 15 days after childbirth, a further 2 mL of breast-milk was collected. The samples were analyzed using High-Efficiency Liquid Chromatography. The nutritional adequacy of the breast-milk in terms of vitamin E content was calculated by multiplying the estimated volume of milk ingested by the infant by the concen tration of α-tocopherol in the breast-milk and comparing this directly with the gold standard for intake of this nutrient (4 mg/day). RESULTS: alfa-tocopherol in the blood were 29 ± 0.9 µmol/L (mean ± standard error) and in the colostrum and transition milk were 28.7 ± 4,7 µmol/L and 7.8 ± 1.0 µmol/L, respectively. The estimated consumption of colostrum provided 241% the recommended dietary intake and the transition milk provided 66%. CONCLUSIONS: the group of women under study had nutritionally adequate levels of vitamin E, and these levels are reflected in their breast-milk, especially in the colostrum, which contained more than double the nutritional requirement of the infant.
Tocopherol; Milk, human; Colostrum
