Human milk cholesterol is associated with lactation stage and maternal plasma cholesterol in Chinese populations

Background Milk cholesterol concentrations throughout lactation were analyzed, and the relationship between maternal plasma cholesterol and milk cholesterol in various Chinese populations was examined. Methods A sub-sample of 1138 lactating women was randomly selected from a large cross-sectional study in China ( n = 6481). Milk cholesterol concentrations were determined by HPLC, and concentrations of maternal plasma lipids were determined by an automated biochemical analyzer. Results The mean cholesterol concentrations were 200, 171, and 126 mg/L for colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk, respectively. Cholesterol concentrations differed significantly between stages of lactation (colostrum vs. transitional milk, colostrum vs. mature milk, transitional milk vs. mature milk, all p