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Table 3 Summary effect of nutritional vitamins supplements on status of vitamin C human milk composition

From: Nutritional supplements and mother’s milk composition: a systematic review of interventional studies

First author surname, citation number

Type of Supplement

Characteristics of Participants

Type of study

Aim

Type of Nutrients Evaluated in Milk

Main findings

Jadad scale points and WHO divisions

Byerley [52]

25 lactating women administered 90 mg of ascorbic acid for 1 day followed by 250, 500 or 1000 mg/day for 2 days or unsupplemented for 1 day followed by either 0 or 90 mg ascorbic acid supplement for 2 days

25 well-nourished lactating women from 20 to 36 years old.

Randomized clinical trial

To assess effect of maternal intake of vitamin C on the vitamin C concentration in human milk and on the vitamin C intakes of breast-fed infants.

Vitamin C of human milk

Total maternal intakes of vitamin C, which exceeded 1000 mg/day or 10-fold the RDA for lactation (100 mg/day), did not significantly influence the vitamin C content in milk or the vitamin C intakes of infants.

1/5

Americas (AMRO)

Daneel-Otterbech [53]

Effervescent tablets (1000 mg ascorbic acid)

Apparently healthy, lactating women

Randomised-controlled trial

To compare human milk ascorbic acid content in European and African women and to evaluate the influence of increased ascorbic acid intake on human milk ascorbic acid output.

Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid (AA) supplementation (1000 mg/d for 10 d) increased mean human milk AA from 19 to 60 mg/kg (P ≤ 0.001) and from 60 to 70 mg/kg (P ≤ 0.03) in 18 African and 10 European women, respectively. In 11 African women, mean human milk AA increased from 17 to 36 mg/kg (P ≤ 0.001) after intake of 100 mg AA/d for 10 d.

1/5

Europe (EURO)