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Vitamin B12 supplementation of lactating Guatemalan women: effects on mothers, milk and infants
Author(s) -
Allen Lindsay Helen,
Deegan Kathleen M,
Zea Manuel Ramirez,
Zuleta Clara,
Lildballe Dorte L,
Nexo Ebba
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.546.13
Subject(s) - vitamin b12 , medicine , breast milk , methylmalonic acid , infant formula , lactation , urinary system , breastfeeding , pediatrics , pregnancy , chemistry , biochemistry , biology , genetics
Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency results in low breast milk B12 and poor infant status. Both maternal and infant status could improve by maternal supplementation but the effective dose is not known. A dose‐response pilot study was designed to answer this question. Lactating Guatemalan mothers were screened to identify those with deficient (<148 pmol/L) and marginal (149‐225 pmol/L) serum B12 (69% of those tested). From these 18 mother‐infant pairs were stratified at 2 ± 0.5 mo postpartum by baseline serum B12 and randomized to 3, 100, 250, 500, 750 or 1000 ug B12/d for 2 mo, and 16 pairs completed the study. Outcomes at 1 and 2 mo were maternal and infant serum B12, infant urinary methylmalonic acid (UMMA) measured by HPLC/MS/MS, and milk B12 using chemiluminescence after removal of unbound haptocorrin by cobinamide‐coated EAH sepharose gel. At baseline 62% of women consumed