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BACKGROUND The nutrients in human milk, particularly amino acids and minerals, are important for infant growth and development. Since there are few reports of amino acids and minerals in Chinese breast milk, we conducted this study to establish a representative preliminary database of breast milk nutrients in Chinese breast milk. In this study, we collected breast milk from healthy mothers in seven cities in western, southern and central China. The composition, content and proportion of total amino acids and ten elements (potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, selenium and phosphorus) in human milk in different lactation stages were investigated. RESULTS: In this study, it was found that the content of total essential amino acids (671.47 mg 100 mL−1) in Chinese breast milk was higher compared with the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) (574 mg 100 mL−1), but the content of leucine (LEU) (129.01 mg 100 mL−1) and cysteine (CYS) (20.31 mg 100 mL−1) was much lower than that recommended by ESPGHAN. Moreover, it was found that the content of most of these ten elements decreased during lactation, and the content of calcium in Chinese breast milk was lower compared with ESPGHAN. In addition, the content of selenium (7.23–20.55 mg 1000 mL−1) in breast milk from the three cities Nanchang, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China was much higher than that recommended by ESPGHAN. CONCLUSIONS: In a word, amino acids and minerals in Chinese human milk showed a significant difference from other countries. Human milk meal or infant food should be regulated to meet the requirements of the infant and to maintain the balance of the amino acids and minerals. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]