Zinc in plasma and breast milk in adolescents and adults in pregnancy and pospartum; A cohort study in Uruguay Zinc en el plasma y leche materna en embarazadas adolescentes y adultas y en el postparto; estudio de cohorte en Uruguay

Abstract

Objective: To assess if age is a risk factor for low zinc nutritional status in pregnancy, postpartum and in breast milk concentration, and the association between mother zinc plasma level with zinc milk concentration. Design: Cohort study comparing adolescents with adult women, with < 14 weeks of gestation at first prenatal care. Socio demographic and plasma zinc data were collected at that moment and at postpartum time (4 + 1 month). Milk zinc concentrations were also measured at 4 th month postpartum. Setting: Women were recruited from 16 public primary health care services in Uruguay Subjects: 151 adolescents and 161 adult women Results: Adolescent average plasma zinc at < 14 weeks of gestation was 84.4 ± 3.6 ug /dl and did not differ significantly from that for adult women (85.2 ± 13.6 ug/dl). Prevalence of hypozincemia was relatively low with but with no difference by age (14.6% in adolescents and 12.3% in adults). Zinc concentrations in breast milk were similar for adolescents,