NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Findings from a new study should provide some reassurance to breastfeeding mothers that even if they've been exposed to high amounts of lead, very little of this toxin is excreted in their breast milk. In addition, the use of calcium pills may help bring down lead levels even further.
Dr. Adrienne S. Ettinger, of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues examined the contribution of cumulative lead exposure, breastfeeding practices, and calcium intake to levels of lead in breast milk among 367 women in Mexico City.
The investigators measured levels of lead in the blood and breast milk of the mothers at 1, 4, and 7 months postpartum, and obtained bone lead measurements at 1 month postpartum. Results of the study are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The average levels of lead in breast milk at 1, 4 and 7 months were 1.4, 1.2, and 0.9 micrograms per liter, respectively -- a significant decreasing trend over the course of lactation.
click to read more...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment