Antioxidant content of the milk of Nigerian women and the sera of their exclusively breast-fed infants

The content of many nutrients in breast milk are dependent on the nutritional status of the lactating woman. This is particularly true for fat and water-soluble vitamins, some of which have antioxidant properties. We have previously reported that the total antioxidant content of the milk of women residing in different regions of the developing world varies significantly. In this report we describe the relationship between the antioxidant status of lactating women and their exclusively breast-fed infants from different ethnic groups in Nigeria and the antioxidant content of breast milk. The total antioxidant content of milk from 47 Nigerian women (32 Fulani, 8 Ibo, 3 Yoruba and 4 other ethnic groups) was determined using the Randox^® assay. Maternal and infant serum total antioxidant activity were also measured using the same assay. The milk of the Fulani women contained significantly lower antioxidant capacity than the milk from the other ethnic groups (1.1 mmol/L vs. 3.1 mmol/L, p = <0.001). The antioxidant content in the serum of the Fulani women and their exclusively breast-fed infants was also significantly lower that the other non-Fulani subjects. For the combined subjects there was a significant correlation between the maternal antioxidant status and the antioxidant content of breast milk (p < 0.001, r = 0.62) and between the infant antioxidant status and milk (p < 0.001, r = 0.77). The maternal and infant serum antioxidant levels were also significantly correlated (p < 0.001, r = 0.74). These data suggest that the antioxidant status of exclusively breast-fed infants is dependent on the antioxidant status of their mothers.