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4 . 2015

Evaluation of sufficiency with vitamins C, B1 and B2 of newborn infants feeding different types of nutrition, by means of urinary excretion determination

Abstract

With the help of non-invasive methods the sufficiency with vitamins C, B1 and B2 in 58 newborns (38–40 weeks of gestation) on breastfeeding as well as on mixed or artificial feeding has been evaluated. Urinary excretion and breast content of ascorbic acid (measured by visual titration), thiamin (by thiochrome fluorimetric method) and riboflavin (fluorimetrically by titration with riboflavinbinding protein) was determined on the 3–10th day after birth. 35 infants were exclusively breastfed. 40% of their mothers regularly took multivitamin supplements during pregnancy and 42,9% – both during pregnancy and after childbirth, 17,1% did not use vitamin complexes either during pregnancy or after childbearing. The content of vitamins C, B1 and B2 in the breast milk of women who did not additionally intake vitamins during pregnancy and lactation, was reduced compared with that of mothers who took multivitamin supplements, and provided only a half of the needs of their child in these vitamins. All these babies have urinary excretion of vitamins below the lower limit of norm. Among infants whose mothers took multivitamin supplements during pregnancy, but stop taking them immediately after their birth, only 28,6% of newborns were provided with vitamin C, while all the children identified a lack of vitamins B1 and B2. The insufficiency with vitamins C and B1 was detected in one third of children breastfed by mothers who took vitamins during pregnancy and continued intaking them after birth, adequate supplied with vitamin B2 was 35,7% of the surveyed. Determination of vitamin urinary excretion (per g creatinine) is useful for vitamin status evaluation. The content of vitamins in breast milk can be used for assessment of vitamin status both a nursing woman and her child. Taking into consideration that the diet of a breastfeeding woman is not always the best, there is no doubt about the need to continue multivitamin intake during breastfeeding. The question on the doses of vitamins in vitamin-mineral supplements for lactating women, providing vitamin content of breast milk at an optimal level, or intended specifically for infants, nowadays is extensively discussed.

Keywords:vitamins, newborns, non-invasive methods for vitamin sufficiency assessing, breast milk, urine excretion of vitamins

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CHIEF EDITOR
CHIEF EDITOR
Viktor A. Tutelyan
Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Scientific Director of the Federal Research Centre of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety (Moscow, Russia)

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