Studies in human lactation 3: molybdenum and nickel in human milk during the first month of lactation

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Abstract
Molybdenum and nickel were measured in 62 and 46 samples, respectively, of human milk collected from 13 women between delivery and 38 d postpartum. Trace elements were analyzed by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry, with standard additions to whole milk without pretreatment. Molybdenum levels (mean +/- SD) fell from 15.0 +/- 6.1 ng/mL on day 1 to an apparently constant level of 1-2 ng/mL by 1 mo. Nickel concentrations did not change with time; the overall mean was 1.2 +/- 0.4 ng/mL. Intakes of the elements by infants were calculated with test-weighing data on the fully breast-fed infants of these same mothers. By 1 mo, the average daily intake of molybdenum was 1.5 micrograms; that of nickel was 0.8 microgram.