Effect of maternal supplementation with vitamin E on the concentration of α-tocopherol in colostrum [Efeito da suplementação materna com vitamina E sobre a concentração de α-tocoferol no colostro]

Objective to evaluate the effect of maternal supplementation with vitamin e on the concentration of α-tocopherol in colostrum and its supply to the newborn. method this randomized clinical trial enrolled 99 healthy adult pregnant women; of these,39 were assigned to the control group and 60 to the supplemented group. after an overnight fast,5 ml of blood and 2 ml of colostrum were collected. after the first sampling (0 h milk),the supplemented group received 400 iu of supplementary vitamin e. another 2 ml milk aliquot was collected in both groups 24 h after supplementation (24 h milk). the samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. the α-tocopherol content provided by colostrum was calculated by considering a daily intake of 396 ml of milk and comparing the resulting value to the recommended daily intake for infants aged 0–6 months (4 mg/day). results the initial mean concentration of α-tocopherol in colostrum was 1509.3 ± 793.7 μg/dl in the control group and 1452.9 ± 808.6 μg/dl in the supplemented group. after 24 h,the mean α-tocopherol concentration was 1650.6 ± 968.7 μg/dl in the control group (p > 0.05) and 2346.9 ± 1203.2 μg/dl in the supplemented group (p < 0.001),increasing the vitamin e supply to the newborn to 9.3 mg/day. initially,18 women in the supplemented group provided colostrum α-tocopherol contents below 4 mg/day; after supplementation only six continued to provide less than the recommended amount. conclusion maternal vitamin e supplementation increases the supply of the vitamin to the infant by providing more than twice the recommended daily intake. © 2016 sociedade brasileira de pediatria