Babies and children rely on essential vitamins, such as vitamin B-12, to support their brain and body development. However, low levels of vitamin B-12 can occur in infants if their mothers have insufficient levels during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Maternal vitamin B-12 levels strongly affect the B-12 levels in infants, making it crucial for breastfeeding mothers to have adequate B-12 in their breast milk, especially during the first six months of life.
Pregnant and lactating women are at a higher risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency due to the increased nutritional demands placed on their bodies while providing for their babies. Animal-source foods are a common provider of vitamin B-12, but in areas with low consumption of such diets, the deficiency becomes a serious health concern for both mothers and infants.
To address this challenge in resource-limited settings where maternal undernutrition is common, researchers conducted a study to determine the optimal timing and dosage of B-12 supplements during pregnancy and lactation.
Led by Mason Assistant Professor Dongqing Wang from the College of Public Health, the study discovered that pregnant women who took high doses of oral vitamin B-12 supplements before delivery experienced short-term improvements in their breast milk’s B-12 levels. On the other hand, women who took high doses of vitamin B-12 supplements during lactation enjoyed these benefits for a longer duration.
Wang emphasizes the significance of understanding the effects of prenatal and postnatal vitamin B-12 supplements on breast milk B-12 levels to develop effective nutritional interventions for protecting mothers and infants from B-12 deficiencies. The study’s findings confirm that prenatal vitamins offer short-term benefits, while postnatal vitamins provide longer-lasting impacts on B-12 adequacy in breast milk. Ultimately, both prenatal and postnatal supplements promote healthy growth and development in infants.
Interestingly, the study also observed that the effect of prenatal supplements diminished when used in conjunction with postnatal supplements, and vice versa.
Wang explains, “There seems to be a plateau in the effect when prenatal and postnatal supplements are used together. This suggests that either prenatal or postnatal vitamins can correct maternal B-12 deficiency, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for combining both supplements throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding in populations with insufficient dietary intake.”
The full report, “The effects of prenatal and postnatal high-dose vitamin B-12 supplementation on human milk vitamin B-12: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Tanzania,” was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in November 2023.
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