Calcium and Fat Absorption in Neonatal Period

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Abstract
Human milks and four adapted cow’s milk formulas that varied only in their fat composition were fed to 55 infants from the 4th to the 11th day of life. Absorption and retention of calcium, phosphorus, and fat were measured by metabolic balance technique. The following observations were made: 1) Calcium absorption showed significant variation among the formulas. Loss of calcium in the feces accompanied excretion of total fat, which was related to fatty acid composition of the formula. High content of stearate and palmitate in the feeding increased losses. Retention of calcium was greatest in a formula low in stearate and palmitate and high in oleate. 2) With all formulas, fat absorption correlated with intake over the entire range of intakes studied. No level of intake was observed where no further absorption occurred. 3) intake over the entire range of intakes fed formulas that resulted in poor calcium retention.