Skip to main content
Log in

Breast milk composition and bile salt-stimulated lipase in well-nourished and under-nourished Nigerian mothers

  • Original Investigations
  • Published:
European Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Breast milk was analysed in 9 under-nourished Nigerian mothers and 23 well-nourished mothers who served as controls. Milk from the under-nourished mothers contained adequate amounts of lactose and total triglycerides, but had significantly lower bile salt-stimulated lipase activity (BSSL); their mean BSSL activity was only about 50% of the activity in milk from the control group. Total milk protein was also significantly lower than for the controls (1.45 vs. 1.09 g/dl, respectively;P<0.01). Our findings may have nutritional implications for breast-fed infants of under-nourished nursing mothers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

BSSL:

bile salt-stimulated lipase

References

  1. Alemi B, Hamosh M, Scanlan JW, Salzman-Mann C, Hammash P (1981) Fat digestion in very low-birth-weight infants: effect of addition of human milk to low birth weight formula. Pediatrics 68: 484–489

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Gopalan C (1958) Studies on lactation in poor indian communities. J Trop Pediatr 4:87–97

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Hamosh M (1981) Physiological role of milk lipases. In: Lebenthal E (ed) Textbook of Gastro-enterology and Nutrition in Infancy. Raven Press, New York, pp 473–482

    Google Scholar 

  4. Hernell O, Gebre-Medhin M, Olivecrona O (1977) Breast milk composition in Ethiopian and Swedish mothers IV: milk lipases. Am J Clin Nutr 30:508–511

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Hibberd CM, Brooke OG, Cater ND, Haug M, Harzer G (1982) Variation in the composition of breast milk during the first 5 weeks of lactation. Implications for the feeding of preterm infants. Arch Dis Child 57:658–662

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Jelliffe DB (1966) In: The assessment of the nutritional status of a community. W.H.O., Geneva, pp 10–96

    Google Scholar 

  7. Lonnerdal B, Forsum E, Gebre-Medhin M, Hambraeus L (1976) Breast milk composition in Ethiopian and Swedish mothers. II: lactose, nitrogen and protein contents. Am J Clin Nutr 29:1134–1141

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the folin-phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193: 265–275

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Olivecrona T, Bengtsson G (1977) Lipases in milk. In: Borgstrom B, Brockman HL (eds) Lipases. Elsevier, New York, pp 206–261

    Google Scholar 

  10. Park JI, Johnson MJ (1949) A submicro-determination of glucose. J Biol Chem 181:149–151

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Roberts IM (1985) Hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl butyrate: a convenient and sensitive assay for lipase activity. Lipids 20:243–247

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Roberts IM, Montgomery RK, Carey MC (1984) Rat lingual lipase: partial purification, hydrolytic properties and comparison with pancreatic lipase. Am J Physiol 247:6385–6393

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gindler, J., Nwankwo, M.U., Omene, J.A. et al. Breast milk composition and bile salt-stimulated lipase in well-nourished and under-nourished Nigerian mothers. Eur J Pediatr 146, 184–186 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02343230

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02343230

Key words

Navigation