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Nutrient Regulation during Pregnancy, Lactation, and Infant Growth pp 243–255Cite as

Calcium Intakes and Bone Densities of Lactating Women and Breast-Fed Infants in the Gambia

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 352))

Abstract

Infancy and lactation are periods in the human life-cycle when demands for calcium are high. Theoretical skeletal calcium accretion rates exceed 400 mg/d (10 mmol/d) shortly after birth and remain above 200 mg/d (5 mmol/d) for the first 6 months of life (Kanis and Passmore, 1989). In the second half of infancy and in early childhood, when growth rates are slower, calcium accretion exceeds 50–100 mg/d (1.25–2.5 mmol/d) and is greater during periods of catch-up growth following illness. Breast-milk calcium secretion during lactation averages 200–250 mg/day (5.0–6.25 mmol/d). Substantial between-mother variations in breast-milk calcium concentrations and volumes mean that the calcium stress of lactation can be considerably greater for some individuals. For example, in a recent study conducted by us in the UK, measured 24-hour breast-milk calcium outputs of exclusively breast-feeding mothers, 1.5–3 months postpartum, varied over a two-fold range from 166–332 mg/d (4.15–8.30 mmol/d) (Laskey et al., 1990).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ, United Kingdom

    Ann Prentice

  2. PO Box 273, Keneba, The Gambia

    Ann Prentice

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  1. University of California-Davis, Davis, California, USA

    Lindsay Allen  & Bo Lönnerdal  & 

  2. University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA

    Janet King

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Prentice, A. (1994). Calcium Intakes and Bone Densities of Lactating Women and Breast-Fed Infants in the Gambia. In: Allen, L., King, J., Lönnerdal, B. (eds) Nutrient Regulation during Pregnancy, Lactation, and Infant Growth. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 352. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2575-6_22

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