An increasing trend towards breast-feeding infants beyond 6 mo of age has been observed in this country. The present study was designed to examine the effect of extended lactation on the concentrations of vitamins B6 and C, free and total folacin, calcium, zinc, and magnesium. Forty mothers were studied from 7 months of lactation until they stopped breast-feeding. Subjects were requested to collect milk samples monthly at a morning feeding between 7 AM and 10 AM. Between 7 and 25 mo of lactation, levels of zinc, calcium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C tended to decrease, whereas levels of free and total folacin remained unchanged. Magnesium levels decreased only after 18 mo of lactation. The decrease in concentrations of zinc and calcium paralleled the decrease in feeding frequency. Changes observed in this study on the composition of human milk may reflect physiological changes in the mammary gland during weaning.

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Vitamin B6 nutriture was assessed during pregnancy and lactation to determine possible relationships among vitamin B6 intake, levels of the vitamin in biological fluids and the condition of the infant at birth. Vitamin B6 levels were measured in maternal serum and in urine at 5 and 7 months gestation and at delivery, in cord serum and in milk at 3 and 14 days postpartum. Intake of vitamin B6, less than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (1974) for pregnancy and lactation, 2.5 mg/day, resulted in lower levels of the vitamin in maternal serum at delivery and in cord serum than higher intakes. Mothers whose infants had unsatisfactory Apgar scores at 1 min, (less than 7) had significantly low intakes of vitamin B6 and lower levels of the vitamin in both serum and milk than mothers whose infants had satisfactory scores, (greater than or equal to 7). At 5 months gestation, levels of vitamin B6 in maternal serum were significantly correlated with levels of the vitamin in cord serum and in milk at 14 days postpartum. This stage of gestation precedes the period of rapid growth of the central nervous system of the fetus, and is, therefore, a critical time for the assessment of maternal vitamin B6 nutriture.

Studies of breast-feeding and its adequacy for the infant could be simplified if a single milk sample were representative of nutrient levels during a 24-h period, despite diurnal variation. In this study, free and total folacin levels were measured in samples collected from 27 well-nourished mothers at each infant feeding from 2 wk to 1 yr of lactation. Folacin levels were higher (p less than 0.05) in the afternoon and evening than in the morning; variations decreased as lactation progressed (greater than 8 mo) and paralleled the decreased number of daily feedings. Despite 2- to 3-fold variations in milk folacin levels occur a 24-h period during the first 10 mo of lactation, the level in a single sample obtained at 1300-1450 h was representative (r = 0.74-0.93) of mean folacin concentration in samples obtained from all feedings during a 24-h period.

Perceived social support and interpersonal dependency JOAN BOETTCHER is a Registered Dietitian at the Metwere studied as potential factors associated with lactaroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio; JO CAROL tion duration based upon previous breastfeeding experi-