Abstract
Objective: To determine if human milk insulin (HMI) concentrations are affected by gestational age and postnatal age.
Design and setting: An observational study carried out in a level III neonatal intensive care unit. Insulin concentrations were determined in human milk of 90 parturient mothers who delivered between 30 and 41 weeks gestation. Samples were collected on days 3 and 10 after delivery.
Results: HMI concentrations for mothers of preterm infants were not significantly different from those of full term infants, on either day 3 or 10 post partum. When results for all 90 mothers were pooled, regardless of gestational age, HMI concentration fell significantly from day 3 to day 10 (50.1 (34.6) v 41.1 (28.5) µU/ml; p = 0.01; mean (SD)). However, this decrease was only significant for mothers delivering at term (37–41 weeks).
Conclusions: HMI concentrations were not influenced by gestational age at delivery. They decreased post partum, mainly in mothers of term infants. The postnatal changes in HMI concentrations and the effects of oral insulin on the immature intestinal mucosa warrant further investigation.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (80.5 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Arsenault P., Ménard D. Insulin influences the maturation and proliferation of suckling mouse intestinal mucosa in serum-free organ culture. Biol Neonate. 1984;46(5):229–236. doi: 10.1159/000242070. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Buts J. P., De Keyser N., Marandi S., Maernoudt A. S., Sokal E. M., Rahier J., Hermans D. Expression of insulin receptors and of 60-kDa receptor substrate in rat mature and immature enterocytes. Am J Physiol. 1997 Jul;273(1 Pt 1):G217–G226. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.1997.273.1.G217. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Buts J. P., De Keyser N., Sokal E. M., Marandi S. Oral insulin is biologically active on rat immature enterocytes. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1997 Aug;25(2):230–232. doi: 10.1097/00005176-199708000-00020. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Harada E., Syuto B. Precocious cessation of intestinal macromolecular transmission and sucrase development induced by insulin in adrenalectomized suckling rat. Comp Biochem Physiol A Comp Physiol. 1991;99(3):327–331. doi: 10.1016/0300-9629(91)90009-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kien C. L., Heitlinger L. A., Li B. U., Murray R. D. Digestion, absorption, and fermentation of carbohydrates. Semin Perinatol. 1989 Apr;13(2):78–87. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kinouchi T., Koizumi K., Kuwata T., Yajima T. Milk-borne insulin with trypsin inhibitor in milk induces pancreatic amylase development at the onset of weaning in rats. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2000 May;30(5):515–521. doi: 10.1097/00005176-200005000-00010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Marandi S., De Keyser N., Saliez A., Maernoudt A. S., Sokal E. M., Stilmant C., Rider M. H., Buts J. P. Insulin signal transduction in rat small intestine: role of MAP kinases in expression of mucosal hydrolases. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2001 Feb;280(2):G229–G240. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.2001.280.2.G229. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Neu J., Koldovsky O. Nutrient absorption in the preterm neonate. Clin Perinatol. 1996 Jun;23(2):229–243. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Oski F. A. What we eat may determine who we can be. Nutrition. 1997 Mar;13(3):220–221. doi: 10.1016/s0899-9007(96)00405-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- PIERCE A. E., RISDALL P. C., SHAW B. ABSORPTION OF ORALLY ADMINISTERED INSULIN BY THE NEWLY BORN CALF. J Physiol. 1964 Jun;171:203–215. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1964.sp007372. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shehadeh N., Gelertner L., Blazer S., Perlman R., Solovachik L., Etzioni A. Importance of insulin content in infant diet: suggestion for a new infant formula. Acta Paediatr. 2001 Jan;90(1):93–95. doi: 10.1080/080352501750064941. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shulman R. J. Oral insulin increases small intestinal mass and disaccharidase activity in the newborn miniature pig. Pediatr Res. 1990 Aug;28(2):171–175. doi: 10.1203/00006450-199008000-00018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Slebodziński A. B., Nowak J., Gawecka H., Sechman A. Thyroid hormones and insulin in milk; a comparative study. Endocrinol Exp. 1986 Aug;20(2-3):247–255. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wang H. S., Lee J. D., Soong Y. K. Effects of labor on serum levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins at the time of delivery. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1995 Mar;74(3):186–193. doi: 10.3109/00016349509008936. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]