Caloric content of breast milk measured by the crematocrit
Abstract
Breastfeeding is the ideal nutrition for newborns and infants, as it provides the necessary calories
for their survival. The objective of this study was to compare the caloric content of colostrum and
mature breast milk using the creamtocrit method. Eighty breast milk samples from women aged 18
to 35 years were analyzed. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each mother. The fat content of the milk was measured using the creamtocrit method. A Student’s t-test was used for statistical analysis. The average maternal age was 21.5 ± 5 years in group A (colostrum-type milk) and 22.3 ± 4.5 years in group B (mature milk). Regarding energy content, there were no significant differences between colostrum and mature milk. The average values found were: colostrum: cream content 7.9 ± 2.0%, fat content 5.4 ± 1.4%, and 837.4 ± 166.4 kcal/liters; and mature human milk: cream content 8.9 ± 2.4%, fat content 5.6 ± 1.7%, and 818.4 ±225.7 kcal/liters. It is concluded that mature breast milk contains a higher concentration of fat compared to initial milk or colostrum.
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