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. 2017 Feb 15;147(4):603–611. doi: 10.3945/jn.116.242941

TABLE 2.

Circadian variations in breast-milk concentrations for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, fat, and vitamins B-6, B-12, A, and E for days 1–31

Vitamin or fat, %
Time (24 h)2 n Thiamin Riboflavin Niacin Vitamin B-6 Vitamin B-12 Vitamin A Vitamin E Fat Vitamin Afat Vitamin Efat
Day 1
 0800–0859 17 85* 70* 82 94 121 80 97 90 101 103
 0900–0959 3 95 39 42 126 34 119 98 117 101 91
 1000–1059 12 91 133 102 103 74* 138 119 105 94 105
 1100–1159 10 101 83 122 106 146* 98 101 96 81 116
 1200–1259 6 118* 169* 75 116 61 84 107 87 108 116
 1300–1359 11 100 96 79 94 117 107 112 114 108 83
 1400–1459 9 103 95 166 131 137* 117* 142* 123* 96 101
 1500–1559 8 115 101 73 106 119 120 105 133 82 89
 1600–1659 12 85 121 112 88 94 119 101 93 132 108
 1700–1759 9 108 102 99 107 75 71 87 108 82 93
 1800–1859 9 81 86 117 92* 162 146 136 112 107 111
 1900–1959 7 107 153 125 136* 146 90 105 96 185 109
 2000–2159 20 103 111 88 105 126 121 96 111 127 82
 2200–2359 12 124 131 93 113 105 126 82 89 122 90
 0000–0159 12 98 79 112 69* 75 69* 83* 78* 80 93
 0200–0359 11 96* 79* 50* 67* 59* 69 82 80 81 90
 0400–0559 10 108* 146 102 67 63* 109* 81 80 128 95
 0600–0759 9 76* 61* 80* 71* 108 87 84 90 92 108
 Daily median3 187 137 34.3 265 86.9 145 48.8 45.1 58.4 29.4 182
 Variance due to circadian fluctuation, % 3.7 2.1 3.0 3.0 8.6 5.4 5.5 8.7 <0.5 <0.5
 Variance due to between-subject variability, % 81.8 86.3 73.7 76.8 54.6 56.7 48.0 18.7 67.2 58.4
 Variance due to within-subject variability, % 14.5 11.6 23.3 20.2 36.8 37.9 46.5 72.6 32.8 41.6
Day 2
 0800–0859 17 90* 69* 69 76 92 126 118* 96 120 109
 0900–0959 7 100 159* 116 105* 55 98 123 111 88 90
 1000–1059 8 86 127* 85 86 145 132 130 120* 118 104
 1100–1159 10 107* 167* 97 127* 54 119 113 100 112 118
 1200–1259 12 97* 136* 103* 119* 131 99* 125* 111 87 114
 1300–1359 4 117 220 155 128 172* 210 93 106 203 68
 1400–1459 8 110 106 100 78 132 120* 113* 131* 91 81
 1500–1559 10 112 113 115 128 85 146 103 104 129 98
 1600–1659 10 88 80 90* 108 156 113* 147* 100 92 110
 1700–1759 10 110 95 115 93 118 119 99 104 134 78
 1800–1859 4 105 119 154 82 89 107 117 129 82 80
 1900–1959 8 76 68 67 91 123 101 116 79 155 112
 2000–2159 16 111 97 101 85 72 92 94 96 92 86
 2200–2359 17 93 100 109 103 100 101 79 103 102 119
 0000–0159 10 94* 78 80 59* 84 76* 77* 64* 110 127
 0200–0359 10 82* 62* 66* 111 89 69* 87* 76* 84 113
 0400–0559 5 113 125 108* 113 72 111 70 74 155 84
 0600–0759 13 74* 76* 75* 114 74 78* 91 83 91* 85
 Daily median3 179 160 45.1 229 126 146 53.2 42.3 55.7 32.3 190
 Variance due to circadian fluctuation, % 3.4 6.6 3.1 5.5 3.2 6.8 6.9 15.4 <0.5 <0.5
 Variance due to between-subject variability, % 85.3 79.6 79.1 74.5 49.9 66.1 51.8 8.4 67.7 46.9
 Variance due to within-subject variability, % 11.3 13.8 17.8 19.9 46.9 27.2 41.2 76.2 32.3 53.1
Day 3
 0800–0859 16 86* 61* 96 69* 88 91 107 106 85 88
 0900–0959 7 99 167* 97 83 61 107 135 119 100 113
 1000–1059 8 101 972* 105 228* 102 96 107 129 108 86
 1100–1159 10 107 476* 88 134* 82 76 90 89 93 111
 1200–1259 8 99* 188* 168* 210* 125* 139* 131* 101 142* 102
 1300–1359 11 132* 288* 78* 283* 84 114 118 106 115* 93
 1400–1459 6 95 114 117 183* 86 142* 100* 77 153* 137*
 1500–1559 14 118* 133 140* 107 118* 125* 111 117* 101 107
 1600–1659 6 83 70 81* 111 124 114 120 104 72 108
 1700–1759 7 116 151 103 102* 131 190 89 101 188 97
 1800–1859 9 107 94 162 126 132 88 101 112 93 97
 1900–1959 6 121 121 123 117 101 123 71 93 97 76
 2000–2159 16 94 71* 87 82 83 88 108 98 100 98
 2200–2359 17 89 62* 126 80* 113 88 97 97 89 105
 0000–0159 4 97* 57* 66 54* 61 78 86 85 80 95
 0200–0359 9 98* 86 108* 77* 61* 75 80 97 104 83
 0400–0559 10 83* 42* 85* 64* 98 64 87 88 100 116
 0600–0759 9 80* 41* 92* 94* 126* 71* 83 70* 72 126*
 Daily median3 173 166 64.7 193 214 145 60.2 41.9 56.0 37.9 172
 Variance due to circadian fluctuation, % 8.8 40.5 6.2 23.9 3.9 5.8 2.0 7.0 <0.5 0.9
 Variance due to between-subject variability, % 70.0 30.5 82.4 59.3 66.9 59.5 48.1 23.9 64.3 59.9
 Variance due to within-subject variability, % 21.2 29.0 11.4 16.8 29.2 34.8 49.9 69.1 35.4 39.2
1

Values are relative medians (%) compared with the daily median unless otherwise indicated. Relative median: for each day, medians were determined for each time interval as shown and divided by the overall daily median. Values were obtained from mean values of aliquot III (full-breast aliquot) of the milk sample collection from 18 healthy Bangladeshi mothers at 2–4 mo of lactation. Mixed-model analysis of transformed values was used to identify the most-representative sample collection time and to estimate the percentage of variance due to hourly fluctuation and subject variability. *Different from the daily median, P < 0.05. Fat, milk fat; Vitamin Afat, vitamin A adjusted for milk fat; vitamin Efat, vitamin E adjusted for milk fat.

2

The optimal times for collection with no significant differences of concentrations from the daily median are as follows: Day 1: 0900–0959, 1300–1359, 1500–1759, 2000–2359; Day 2: 1500–1559, 1700–2359; Day 3: 1800–1959.

3

Vitamin A (μg/100 mL); vitamin Afat (nmol/g milk fat); thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-6 (μg/L); vitamin B-12 (ng/L); vitamin E (μg/10 mL); vitamin Efat (nmol/g milk fat); fat (g/L).