Inhibition of iron absorption from human milk by baby food
F. A. Oski and S. A. Landaw
We measured the effect of a common baby food, strained pears, on the
absorption of iron from human milk. Five adult subjects were initially fed
1 dL of human milk that contained added ferrous citrate Fe 59; the same
subjects were later fed human milk and one jar of baby food. Incorporation
of 59Fe into RBCs averaged approximately one quarter of the administered
iron from the human milk. When the milk was combined with the baby food,
incorporation was significantly decreased. The addition of a supplemental
food to the diet of the breast-fed infant impairs the bioavailability of
the iron from human milk.
