• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.442-449
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• 1991

Concentrations of iron. zinc, and copper were measured in human milk samples collected longitudinally from 21 highly selected. healthy lactating women. And the daily milk and trace elements intakes of 14 exclusively breastfed infants were determined by the test-wei-ghing procedure and the direct analysis of milk samples at 6 or 7weeks postpartum. Significant decreases in iron. zinc and copper were found with time postpartum. Iron contents decreased from 0.33$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ at 2-5 days to o.21$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ at 12weeks. Zinc concentrations also declined from 4.15$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ in colostrum to 2.33$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ in matured milk at 12 weeks. Mean copper levels of colostum, transitional. and matured milk were 0.21$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$, 0.34$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$, and 0.26$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ respectively. Data indicated that the amount of milk ingested ranged from 432g/day to 1266g/day and the mean intake was 768g/day. Daily mean intakes for iron, zinc, and copper were 0.19mg, 2.10mg, and 0.15mq respectively.