Protein, Ca, Mg and P Intakes of Breast-fed Infants during Lactation

Kim, Eul Sang; Keum, Hae Kyoung

Abstract

This study was longitudinally conducted to evaluate the intakes of protein, Ca, Mg and P of exclusively breast-fed infants compared with the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Korean infants. Twenty Korean lactating women and their infants during the first 3 months of lactation in Incheon area were participated. Protein, Ca and Mg, and P contents in the milk were determined using semimicro Kjeldahl (N X 6.38) , atomic absorption spectrophotometer and colorimeter, respectively, and also the milk consumption of the infants was measured by the test-weighing method. Protein contents of the milk were 1.96, 1.63, 1.51, 1.25 and 1.16 g/100 ml, and protein intakes of the breast-fed infants were 9.00, 9.85, 9.17, 8.97 and 7.76 g/day at 7, 15, 30, 60 and 90 days postpartum. The average protein intake per body weight of the breast-fed infants was 1.84 g/kg/day. The average intakes of Ca, Mg, P were 172.1 mg/day, 15.2 mg/day and 91.4 mg/day, respectively, and the average Ca/P ratio was 1.91. There was positive correlation between protein and Ca, protein and p, and Ca and P contents while negative correlation between Mg and P, The body weight of breast-fed infants increased normally from 3.6+/-0.41 g at birth to three month during lactation. It is suggested that the breast-fed infants in Incheon area consume almost adequately protein, Ca and P from the milk compared with RDA for Korean infants.