(P10-001-24) Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation and Its Association With Copper, Iron & Zinc Levels in Human Milk of Lactating Mothers and Infant Nutritional Status in Jos, Nigeria

Objectives: This study aims to understand how Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) affects Zinc, Iron, and Copper levels in lactating mothers' milk after 10 weeks of supplementation.

Methods: In a randomized controlled trial with 66 lactating mother–child pairs, the intervention group (IG) received 10 weeks of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) with 2.0mg Cu, 30mg Fe, 15mg Zn, while the control group (CG) received a placebo. Human milk samples were collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 10 weeks, and both child anthropometry and maternal dietary intake were assessed. Analysis of Cu, Fe, and Zn levels was done with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry.

Results: The study investigated the impact of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) on human milk copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) concentrations over a 10-week period. Maternal/infant demographics indicated successful randomisation. The results showed no significant changes in copper levels after supplementation, with baseline levels of 0.58 ± 0.29 mg/L decreasing to 0.27 ± 0.09 mg/L at 10 weeks in the intervention group. For iron, there were also no significant changes, with baseline levels of 1.03 ± 1.44 mg/L decreasing to 0.35 ± 0.18 mg/L at 10 weeks. However, zinc levels showed a significant decrease from 4.92 ± 1.78 mg/L at baseline to 1.64 ± 0.78 mg/L at 10 weeks (p = 0.043).

Factors associated with human milk Cu, Fe, and Zn concentrations were also examined. For copper, protein intake (g) showed a weak positive correlation (0.38), while disaccharide intake (g) had a weak negative correlation (0.32). For iron, calcium intake (mg) showed a weak positive correlation (0.33). Calcium intake (mg) also showed a weak negative correlation (-0.04) with zinc levels. There was a positive association between Ca in milk at baseline and whz (p=0.02) and negative associations between Ca in milk and whz (p=0.02) and waz (p=0.001) at 10 weeks.

Overall, these findings suggest that MMS may not have a significant impact on the concentrations of these minerals in human milk over a 10-week period. However, further research is needed to explore other factors that may influence mineral levels in human milk.

Conclusions: MMS had no impact on human milk Cu, Fe, and Zn after 10 weeks. No association was observed between maternal intake of iron, zinc, and copper and their concentrations in human milk, but associations were found between maternal dietary calcium and phosphorus and milk copper levels. There is the need to conduct further RCT with longer duration.

Funding Sources: ISRHML - TTF grant