Effect of infant's gender on the mineral breast milk composition of Algerian breastfeeding women during lactation periods

The study aimed to investigate the effect of infant gender on the mineral composition of breast milk in three lactation periods: colostrum, transition, and mature. The study analyzed milk samples (n = 125) from both genders, and essential minerals breast-milk concentrations were analyzed by atomic emission spectrophotometry. The study found that the total mineral (2.6 & PLUSMN; 1.2 vs. 2.1 & PLUSMN; 0.8%), and essential minerals concentrations of breast milk for both genders (Na: 464.2 & PLUSMN; 443 vs. 418 & PLUSMN; 230 mg/L), K (517 & PLUSMN; 175 vs. 597 & PLUSMN; 202 mg/L) and Ca (224 & PLUSMN; 71 vs.244 & PLUSMN; 82 mg/L) were higher in colostrum than in mature milk: total mineral: 1.6 & PLUSMN; 1 vs. 1.4 & PLUSMN; 0.5%, Na: 263 & PLUSMN; 136 vs. 286 & PLUSMN; 193 mg/L, K: 442 & PLUSMN; 197 vs. 384 & PLUSMN; 129 mg/L, and Ca: 207 & PLUSMN; 70 vs. 186 & PLUSMN; 50 mg/ L, and there was no significant difference between the three lactation periods (P > 0.05) was recorded. However, higher mineral breast-milk amounts were noticed in males (2.0 & PLUSMN; 1.2%; P 0.008) compared to females (1.8 & PLUSMN; 0.8%; P 0.001), and there was a significant reduction in sodium breast-milk for males (P = 0.04), and highly significant difference potassium breast-milk for females (P = 0.001). Breast-milk for females displayed high rates in calcium compared to males (222 & PLUSMN; 74 vs. 203 & PLUSMN; 62; p > 0.05), and there was almost similar magnesium content in breast-milk for both genders (p > 0.05).The study also found that sodium breast-milk content was significantly correlated with total minerals for both genders (P 0.001), but there was no significant correlation between the concentrations of mineral content and K, Ca, and Mg in the breast milk samples for both genders (p > 0.05). In summary, the study concludes that the breast-milk mineral content of lactating mothers is affected by the infant's gender throughout the lactation periods.