Table 1.
Distribution of human milk components among 300 breastfeeding mothers. Italy, 2012–2014.
| Milk Component | Mean ± SD | Minimum | 10th Percentile | Median | 90th Percentile | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (kcal/100mL) 1 | 57.5 ± 10.5 | 37.0 | 44.0 | 56.5 | 71.5 | 89.0 |
| Lactose (g/100mL) 1 | 6.8 ± 0.2 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 7.2 |
| Protein (g/100mL) 1 | 0.9 ± 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Fat (g/100mL) 1 | 3.1 ± 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 7.2 |
| SFA (% of FA) 2 | 41.9 ± 4.9 | 27.9 | 36.1 | 41.9 | 48.1 | 56.1 |
| MUFA (% of FA) 2 | 44.1 ± 4.8 | 31.1 | 38.0 | 43.9 | 50.7 | 60.8 |
| PUFA (% of FA) 2 | 13.6 ± 2.5 | 9.0 | 10.9 | 13.1 | 16.9 | 24.3 |
| ω-6 (% of FA) 2 | 12.4 ± 2.5 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.9 | 15.6 | 23.1 |
| LA (% of FA) 2 | 10.9 ± 2.4 | 6.4 | 8.4 | 10.4 | 14.0 | 21.4 |
| AA (% of FA) 2 | 0.5 ± 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| ω-3 (% FA) 2 | 1.2 ± 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 4.4 |
| ALA (% of FA) 2 | 0.5 ± 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| EPA (% of FA) 2 | 0.06 ± 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.09 | 0.4 |
| DHA (% of FA) 2 | 0.3 ± 0.2 | 0.09 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2.3 |
| DPA (% of FA) 2 | 0.1 ± 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.08 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| ω-6/ω-3 ratio 2 | 11.2 ± 3.7 | 2.5 | 7.2 | 10.8 | 16.1 | 28.3 |
| LA/ALA ratio 2 | 21.9 ± 7.4 | 5.9 | 13.6 | 20.4 | 31.5 | 54.1 |
| AA/EPA ratio 2 | 11.2 ± 4.8 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 11.1 | 17.7 | 24.6 |
| EPA/DHA ratio 2 | 0.2 ± 0.06 | 0.08 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| AA/DHA ratio 2 | 2.0 ± 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 4.4 |
| LA/DHA ratio 2 | 47.8 ± 24.3 | 3.7 | 20.8 | 45.5 | 78.9 | 176.9 |
1 This component was missing in 1 subject. 2 This component was missing in 18 subjects. AA: arachidonic acid; ALA: α-linolenic acid; DHA: docosahexaenoic acid; DPA: docosapentaenoic acid; EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid; FA: fatty acids; LA: linoleic acid; MUFA: monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA: polyunsaturated fatty acids; SD: standard deviation; SFA: saturated fatty acids.