Explain the effect on Vitamins of the human milk?
Although there are inter-individual variations in vitamin concentrations, diet and drug use by individual women influences vitamin composition in human milk. Vitamin D activity of human milk is influenced by maternal vitamin D intake, as well as, maternal exposure to UV light. Concentration of vitamin A is strongly influenced by the mother's diet. Vitamin A content of breast milk has been found to be much lower in some developing countries than in Western countries.
The levels of water-soluble vitamins are more likely to reflect maternal dietary or supplement intake than most other ingested compounds. In lactating women of low socio-economic status, supplementation with folate, vitamin B12 and B6 increased the levels of each vitamin in milk. B6 in milk may be a sensitive indicator of maternal vitamin B6 status. There are reports of vitamin B12 deficiency in infants of vegan and malnourished mothers. So far, we have dealt with the various aspects of lactation and the importance of maternal nutrition for ensuring infant well-being. Let us now examine the impact of lactation from the mother's perspective.