Trace element concentrations in breast milk

Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for the newborn infant, and exclusive breast feeding is recommended by WHO up to 6 months of age. Human milk provides all the nutrients including essential trace elements, Conversely, human milk can also be a potential source of undesirable (toxic) elements which are dangerous for a baby, and their content reflects the level of environmental pollution and the mother’s diet. The aim of this study is to provide updated information on concentrations of a wide range of essential, non-essential and toxic elements in human milk collected from a significant group of healthy lactating women living in Modena, Italy, together with information on dietary habits. Samples were collected between day 30 and 40 after childbirth, and the trace element concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave digestion. Preliminary results show that concentrations in human milk of some essential trace elements like Fe, Zn, Cu, Se and Mn are in line with reference standard (WHO 1989). No detectable levels of Pb were found, whereas concentrations of Cd were detected in more than one third of mother’s milk samples, although none in amounts that could represent a health hazard.