Breast-milk calcium concentrations during prolonged lactation in British and rural Gambian mothers

Detailed investigation of breast-milk calcium concentrations during 2 years of lactation have been conducted in Cambridge, UK, and rural Gambia. Mature milk concentrations remained steady for 3 months but declined during months 4-12 by over 25% (p less than 0.001). The pattern was identical in both communities despite differences in breast-feeding practices. Calcium concentrations were not related to feed frequency or breast-milk sodium concentrations, suggesting that breast involution is not responsible for the decrease after 3 months. Breast-milk calcium concentrations were characteristic of the individual, varied twofold between mothers and were independent of maternal age, parity and milk output. Gambian breast-milk contained 19% less calcium than Cambridge milk, throughout lactation (p less than 0.001). The extent to which this reflected the lower calcium intakes of Gambian mothers is unknown. Further studies are required to determine factors regulating breast-milk calcium secretion.