Breast Milk Beta-Glucuronidase and Exaggerated Jaundice in the Early Neonatal Period

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Breast-feeding is associated with jaundice in the early neonatal period. Previous work has shown levels of the enzyme β-glucuronidase in maternal breast milk to be related to infant serum bilirubin on postnatal day 21. Our aim was to establish if there was a correlation between the level of breast milk β-glucuronidase and the degree of early (first week) neonatal hyperbilirubunaemia. A study of 55 mother and baby pairs showed that breast milk β-glucuronidase levels had no relationship with the level of infant serum bilirubin between postnatal days 3 and 6. Breast milk β-glucuronidase does not directly account for the early neonatal jaundice seen in breastfed babies.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: