The validation of an LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of vitamin D metabolites in human milk and their biological variability in Gambian women.

Vitamin D is required for healthy growth and development, but data on human milk vitamin D content is limited. We describe a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the analysis of vitamin D metabolites in human milk, and its application in samples collected on two consecutive days from women in rural Gambia. Vitamin D compounds were extracted from 1 mL of milk by liquid-liquid extraction and derivatised with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD) prior to analysis by LC-MS/MS.

Relationship between the lipid composition of maternal plasma and infant plasma through breast milk.

Introduction: This study was motivated by the report that infant development correlates with particular lipids in infant plasma.

Objective: The hypothesis was that the abundance of these candidate biomarkers is influenced by the dietary intake of the infant.

Methods: A cohort of 30 exclusively-breastfeeding mother-infant pairs from a small region of West Africa was used for this observational study.