Levels of alpha-tocopherol in maternal serum and colostrum of adolescents and adults

To assess the alpha-tocopherol concentration in the serum and colostrum of adolescent and adult mothers and to determine the nutritional adequacy of vitamin E in the colostrum offered to infants. In total, 72 pregnant women participated in the study, 25 adolescents and 47 adults. An amount of 5 mL of blood and 2 mL of colostrum were collected under fasting conditions for the analysis of alpha-tocopherol levels. The samples were analyzed by means of high performance liquid chromatography. Nutritional adequacy of colostrum for vitamin E was calculated as the product of the estimated volume of milk intake by the concentration of alpha-tocopherol in colostrum and by direct comparison of this product with the reference value for nutrient intake (4 mg/day). The levels of alpha-tocopherol in the serum of adolescents and adults were 30.8 ± 9.8 and 34.1 ± 9.5 µmol/L (mean ± SD), respectively, and in colostrum, the adolescents showed a concentration of 32.9 ± 15.8 µmol/L and the adults, a concentration of 30.4 ± 18.0 µmol/L. No significant difference was found between concentrations of alpha-tocopherol in serum or in colostrum between adolescents and adults. Both adolescents and adult women had a satisfactory vitamin E nutritional status reflected in the colostrum, whose values were able to meet the nutritional requirements of infants, suggesting that the maternal age does not influence the levels of alpha-tocopherol in human colostrum.