Vitamin E in Human Milk from Mothers of Preterm and Term Infants

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Abstract
The content of vitamin E (.alpha.- and .beta. + .gamma.-to copherol) was analyzed in 63 human milk samples obtained from 13 mothers of preterm infants ("preterm" milk) and in 59 milk samples obtained from nine mothers of full-term infants ("term" milk). The changing pattern of the .alpha.- and .beta. + .gamma.-tocopherol content during the course of lactation was identical for both groups. Total vitamin E, .alpha.- as well as .beta. + .gamma.-tocopherol, decreased during the first 2 weeks of lactation and remained constant thereafter. The ratio of .alpha.- to .beta. + .gamma.-tocopheral decreased from about 10:1 to 4:1. At days 3 and 36 of lactation, vitamin E contents (median values and ranges) expressed as milligrams .alpha.-tocopherol equivalent per 100 ml were 1.45 (0.64-6.4) and 0.29 (0 17-0.48), respectively, for preterm and 1.14 (0.63-4.21) and 0.28 (0.19-0.86), respectively, for term human milk. The vitamin E, .alpha.-tocopherol and .beta. + .gamma.-tocopherol content of preterm human milk did not differ significantly (p .ltoreq. 0.05) from that of term human milk at each sampling day. Based on these findings we conclude that the increased requirement of prematures for vitamin E is not reflected in the vitamin E content of milk from mothers delivering preterm infants.