Skip to main content

Micronutrient supplement good for lactating mothers

By Celina Ann Z. Javier
FNRI-DOST S&T Media Service

Breastmilk is the perfect food for babies from birth until six months because it contains all the nutrients needed by the infant during this critical period.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants from birth to six months and sustaining breastfeeding up to two years of age, while giving appropriate complementary food starting from the sixth month onwards.

However, many mothers do not practice exclusive breastfeeding especially during the first six months for a number of reasons. Some mothers can’t breastfeed because of health problems, like being infected with HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, and lymphoma or have inverted nipples.

Other mothers do not breastfeed because of a number of invalid reasons, like being too busy to breastfeed or sometimes because of the pain that comes with breastfeeding. Another common reason is that mothers do not have enough milk because of being underweight or being stressed.

According to the 2011 Updating of Nutritional Status of Filipinos, a survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST), 1 out of 10 lactating mothers are undernourished.

Lactating mothers are at-risk of being underweight because of increased requirement for nutrients due to the additional need to produce breastmilk without depleting the nutrient in their tissues. Nutrient supplementation is one of the ways for mothers to meet the additional nutritional requirements.

Mr. Michael E. Serafico, Senior Science Research Specialist of the FNRI-DOST, conducted a study to determine the effect of multiple micronutrient supplementation to breastmilk nutrients of lactating mothers.

In this study, three groups of pregnant mothers were given supplements. The first group was given multiple micronutrient content, the second group with folic acid and iron and the third group with iron only. Breastmilk was collected from the mothers and analyzed for retinol or vitamin A, iron, and zinc.

Based on the results, mothers who received multiple micronutrient had the highest vitamin A, iron, and zinc concentration in their breastmilk, while those who received iron only had the lowest nutrient concentration.

The study suggested giving multiple micronutrient supplements to pregnant and lactating mothers.

Presently, only 14.3 percent of pregnant mothers take multivitamins with iron while 82.2 percent take iron supplements, based on the 2011 Updating Survey by the FNRI-DOST.

This study demonstrated that taking multiple micronutrient supplements can result to quality breastmilk thus giving such to pregnant and lactating mothers is encouraged.

In addition to nutrient supplements, the FNRI-DOST recommends that pregnant and lactating mothers should consume a variety of food to ensure getting enough nutrients.


For more information on food and nutrition contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City. E-mail: mcv@fnri.dost.gov.ph, Telefax: 837-2934 and 827-3164, or call: 8372071 local 2296 or visit our website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd  of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become an annua

PIDS expert says income tax cuts justified; warns gov’t of revenue loss

Proposals to amend the personal income tax schedule appear to be well-justified. However, these proposals should include measures that will allow government to recover the revenue loss from lower income taxes. Dr. Rosario Manasan, senior research fellow of state think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said at a seminar sponsored by the Philippine Senate, that government should look for new revenue measures to compensate for the projected revenue loss that will arise as a result of the implementation of any of the various proposals to restructure the personal income tax. Currently, there are several income tax reform proposals pending in both houses of Congress. All of them, according to Dr. Manasan, have the same objective of addressing the phenomenon of bracket creep, which results from “non-indexation to inflation of personal income tax brackets”. Simply put, bracket creep occurs when employees’ income increases over time as a result of inflation. Th

PGIN honors Ilocano heroes of past, present through Heroes Walk

SPO1 Allan Lampitoc Franco of Banna, Ilocos Norte and PO2 Jovalyn D. Lozano of Adams, Ilocos Norte receive a resolution of commendation, a certificate of college scholarship grant to their family members and a P20,000 cash incentive each from the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte represented by Governor Imee R. Marcos and Vice Governor Angelo M. Barba in recognition of their bravery and heroic acts in the Mamasapano clash in Maguindanao on January 25. Mr. Franco and Mr. Lozano were recognized on March 10 in time for the unveiling of the second batch of Ilocano heroes at the Heroes Walk located along the Sirib Mile in Laoag City.  (Lei Adriano) By Jennifer T. Pambid PGIN-CMO In honor of the heroes who brought freedom, fame and glory to the province as well as to the country in the past century, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) through the Education Department and Sirib Youth Office launched the second batch of Ilocano Heroes Walk on March 10, 2015.