Levels of iron, copper and zinc in the colostrum of adult puerpera of term and pre-term infants, as a function of maternal and socioeconomic variables

OBJECTIVES: to investigate the concentrations of Fe, Cu and Zn in samples of colostrum from Brazilian adult women puerpera of term infants (TI) and pre-term infants (PTI) and to evaluate the influence of some maternal variables (age, pre-pregnancy nutritional status, parity, maternal health alterations during the gestational period, per capita familiar income and living conditions) on the concentration of those elements, aiming to identify the women who were prone to produce colostrum with low levels of oligoelements. METHODS: 50 samples of colostrum from puerpera of TI and 38 from puerpera of PTI were collected from women interned at Instituto Fernandes Figueira, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. The levels of trace elements were determined by Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (TXRF) with Synchrotron Radiation. RESULTS: no differences were observed in the Fe levels between PTI and TI groups (p > 0,05). The Cu concentrations were higher in the PTI colostrum (p 0,05). As concentrações de Cu foram maiores no colostro de RNPT (p < 0,05) e os níveis de Zn maiores no colostro de RNAT (p < 0,05). Houve menores níveis de Cu no colostro de puérperas de RNAT com renda familiar per capita inferior a três salários mínimos (p < 0,05). Houve tendência a menores níveis de Zn no colostro de puérperas de RNPT com obesidade pré-gestacional (p = 0,05) e Zn no colostro de puérperas com idade de 35 anos ou mais (p < 0,05). CONCLUSÕES: os resultados sugerem que puérperas de RNPT com maior massa corporal e idade apresentam menores níveis de Zn no leite, representando um fator de risco para o lactente em fase de rápido desenvolvimento.435