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Introduction: Fat intake during lactation may modify the concentration of vitamin E in human milk, probably because both nutrients are fat soluble and also share similar pathways of distribution, metabolism and molecular action. It is known that the high maternal vitamin E intake through supplementation alters alpha-tocopherol concentration in breast milk, but the relationship with human milk lipids has not yet been studied. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the association between alphatocopherol and total fat in breast milk after maternal supplementation with megadoses of vitamin E. Method: This study is part of a clinical trial composed of lactating women from a public outpatient clinic in the city of Natal, RN, Brasil. The group studied were 26 lactating women from a supplemented group whom were given a single dose of 800 IU of RRR-alpha-tocopherol (588 mg) between 30 and 90 days postpartum. Breast milk was collected before and 24h after supplementation. The food intake was assessed by a 24-hour Dietary Recall, the concentration of alpha-tocopherol was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, and lipid concentration was determined by a creamatocrit analyzer. Results: All participants had inadequate vitamin intake (<16mg). Alpha-tocopherol concentration in milk increased from 294.8 pg/dL to 631.6 pg/dL after supplementation (p = 0.002). No relationship was found between alpha-tocopherol and total fat in breast milk before and after RRR-alpha-tocopherol supplementation. Conclusion: Therefore, vitamin E supplementation did not show a relationship between alpha-tocopherol and total fat in breast milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the nutritional status of lactating women with regard to vitamins A and E and the relationship between dietary intake and concentrations in serum and milk. A longitudinal study was conducted with 43 women at a hospital in northeastern Brazil. Blood and milk samples and food intake recalls were obtained at three moments during the breastfeeding period. Retinol and alpha-tocopherol were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Dietary inadequacy was analysed according to the estimated average requirement, with intrapersonal variation adjusted by the multiple source method. Food intake was classified by quartiles of consumption. Serum retinol was 1.65 μmol/L, with 5% of low concentrations (<0.7 μmol/L) at the first collection. Serum alpha-tocopherol decreased from 30.18 to 25.49 μmol/L at the third collection (P = 0.008), with an increase in the percentage frequency of deficiency (<12 μmol/L). Both vitamins maintained stable concentrations in milk at the different collection times, and the overall dietary inadequacy of vitamins A and E was 58% and 100%, respectively. There was a correlation only between vitamin A intake and serum retinol (r = 0.403, P = 0.007), and higher retinol concentrations were found in women classified in the highest consumption quartile (P = 0.031). Over the course of lactation, there was a high degree of inadequacy in vitamin intake and a reduction in serum alpha-tocopherol, whereas its concentrations in milk remained unchanged. Dietary intake of vitamin A has been shown to influence serum retinol, which underscores the importance of adequate nutrition and monitoring of vitamin deficiency during lactation., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)