| Abstract: |
Breast milk is the only one whose composition is precisely adapted to the nutritional needs of the newly born. Its basic content of protein, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and many other nutrients is ideal for the proper development of the child. Fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A and E contents are adequate in human milk. Newborns normally have low levels of vitamin K because it does not cross the placenta from the mother very well and the newborns do not yet have enough bacteria in their intestines to make their own vitamin K. Breast milk tends to have very low levels of vitamin D, usually not enough to meet the needs of an exclusively breast-fed infant. All water soluble vitamins are found in breast milk, and the concentration of vitamin C is eight to ten times higher than in the mother’s plasma . The total mineral content of human milk is generally constant and includes minerals such as sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, and the trace elements iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and iodide. Several studies have demonstrated a high bioavailability of minerals and their relationship with other nutrients present in human milk, which facilitates their absorption, metabolism and excretion .
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