Toxic and essential trace elements in human milk from Greek lactating women: Association with dietary habits and other factors

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 61; no. 2; pp. 238 - 247
• Main Authors: Leotsinidis, Michalis, Alexopoulos, Athanasios, Kostopoulou-Farri, Evangelia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; analysis; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; bioaccumulation; Biological and medical sciences; Breast Feeding; breast milk; Cadmium; chemistry; Colostrum; Colostrum - chemistry; Copper; Diet; Dietary habits; Dietary Supplements; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Female; food consumption; food contamination; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Greece; Heavy metals; human colostrum; human food chain; Human milk; Humans; Infant Welfare; Infant, Newborn; Iron; Lead; Manganese; Medical sciences; Metals, Heavy; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Milk, Human; Milk, Human - chemistry; mineral content; Pregnancy; Reference Values; Regression Analysis; smoking (habit); Toxic trace elements; Toxicology; Trace Elements; Trace Elements - analysis; urban areas; Zinc; Greece; Europe; Cadmium; Dietary habits; Human milk; Lead; Iron; Toxic trace elements; Copper; Zinc; Heavy metals; Manganese; Human; Toxicity; Breast feeding; Heavy metal; Trace element; Woman
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.01.084

The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of some essential and toxic metals in the colostrum and transitory human milk in conjunction with various factors that may influence their concentrations i.e. diet, supplementation, place of residence, smoking, as well as socioeconomic and somatometric characteristics. Zinc, iron, copper, manganese, cadmium and lead were measured by AAS in 180 colostrum samples from healthy lactating women collected on third day postpartum. A second milk sample was collected in 95 (53%) subjects 14 days later. Dietary habits were assessed by a 7-day food frequency questionnaire and various characteristics and socio-economic factors were also recorded. The mean (±standard deviation) values of colostrum samples were: Zn 4905 ± 1725 μg l −1, Fe 544 ± 348 μg l −1, Mn 4.79 ± 3.23 μg l −1, Cu 381 ± 132 μg l −1, Cd 0.190 ± 0.150 μg l −1, Pb 0.48 ± 0.60 μg l −1. All metals with the exception of copper were found in lower concentrations in transitory samples. Cadmium and lead weekly intakes were found to be below the Maximum Tolerable Weekly Intakes as they have been established for infants by WHO or NRC. Our results revealed: higher Pb concentration in the samples from urban areas; effect of smoking on Cu level; dietary habits seem to play a role in metal levels in human milk as the logistic regression models revealed.