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Total calcium absorption is similar from infant formulas with and without prebiotics and exceeds that in human milk-fed infants Full Text
BMC Pediatrics, 08/20/2012
Hicks PD et al. – Despite lower fractional calcium absorption of one without prebiotics (CF) and formula containing prebiotics (PF) compared to HM, higher calcium content in both led to higher total calcium absorption compared to HM infants. No significant effect of prebiotics was observed on calcium absorption or other markers of bone mineral metabolism. Prebiotic containing formulas provide adequate bioavailable calcium compared to the human milk–fed standard.
Methods- A dual tracer stable isotope method was used to assess calcium absorption in infants exclusively fed CF (n = 30), PF (n = 25) or HM (n = 19).
- Analysis of variance was used to analyze calcium intake, fractional calcium absorption, and the amount of calcium absorbed.
- Calcium intake (Mean +/- SEM) for PF was 534 +/- 17 mg/d and 557 +/- 16 mg/d for CF (p = 0.33).
- Fractional calcium absorption was 56.8 +/- 2.6% for PF and 59.2 +/- 2.3% for CF (p = 0.49).
- Total calcium absorbed for PF was 300 +/- 14 mg/d and 328 +/- 13 mg/d for CF (p = 0.16).
- For HM infants calcium intake was 246 +/- 20 mg/d, fractional calcium absorption was 76.0 +/- 2.9 % and total calcium absorbed was 187 +/- 16mg/d (p <0.001, compared to either PF or CF).
- Total and fractional calcium absorption were significantly lower (p0.04) in 7 formula-fed infants with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels [less than or equal to] 20 ng/mL than in formula-fed infants > 20 ng/mL.
