Relationship of pyridoxine supplementation to the nutritional status of mothers and their breastfed infants

Vitamin B-6 levels in milk are known to respond rapidly to changes in maternal vitamin B-6 intake. Mothers were supplemented daily with 2 or 27 mg PN-HCl (1.7 or 22.2 mg PN) and a subgroup of infants from the 2 mg maternal group were supplemented with 0.4 mg PN-HCl/d (0.3 mg PN/d). Vitamin B-6 intakes of mothers and their breastfed (BF) infants were assessed weekly during the 28 day neonatal period. Mothers whose infants had unsatisfactory Apgar scores at 5 min after birth ($\u3c$7) had lower values for vitamin B-6 status parameters than mothers whose infants were scored satisfactory. Also, infants who scored unsatisfactory at birth and whose infants were supplemented with the low level of PN had significantly lower vitamin B-6 status parameters at 7 days of age than infants who scored satisfactory. Infants scored unsatisfactory showed some beneficial effects in both vitamin B-6 status and growth associated with the higher level of vitamin B-6 supplementation of mothers during lactation. The findings showed that the mother\u27s prenatal and postnatal vitamin B-6 intake were significantly associated with the condition of her infant at birth and during the neonatal period. Vitamin B-6 intakes of infants reflected the level of their mother\u27s supplement; intakes were highest for vitamin supplemented infants. Maternal vitamin B-6 intake was a strong indicator of the infant\u27s vitamin B-6 status. Vitamin B-6 intakes of infants correlated significantly with five vitamin B-6 parameters. Plasma PLP levels and birth weight were the strongest predictors examined of infant growth. Alkaline phosphatase activity in milk and infant plasma paralleled PL/PLP ratios in these fluids suggesting that the enzyme acts in the regulation of circulating vitamer levels. The results indicated that the recommended allowance of vitamin B-6 intake for infants is not compatible with the recommended allowance of the vitamin for lactation and that the allowance appears to be unrealistically high for infant needs. The data show that when infant vitamin B-6 status is marginal, supplementation of mothers is preferred to infant supplementation because vitamin B-6 status of both mothers and infants is improved