Abstract

COMPARISON OF NUTRIENT LEVELS AMONG BREAST FED AND FORTIFIED MILK FED INFANTS

*Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Maqbool, Dr. Syed Zohaib Haider and Dr. Nauman Sadiq Kiani

Abstract

Objective: Iron and folic acid are essential nutrients needed for hematopoiesis. Infants’ diet is commonly deficient in these micronutrients that lead to nutritional anemia. Aim of this study was to determine serum iron, serum ferritin and red cell folate levels among healthy breast fed, fortified milk and cow’s milk fed infants. Methods: A total of 120 infants of 4-9 months of age were enrolled in this study. It included 40 normal breast fed controls, 40 fortified milk fed (FM) and 40 cow’s milk fed (CM) infants. Serum iron, serum ferritin and red cell folate concentrations were determined using colorimetric and enzyme immunoassay techniques. Results: Mean serum iron, serum ferritin and red cell folate concentrations of breast fed control group were 120.9±68.4μg/dl, 109±71.7ng/ml and 1044.1±409.2ng/ml respectively. Fortified milk (FM) group showed significantly decreased serum iron (p

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