Abstract:

Objective: This study was performed to determine the effect of feeding with breast milk or formula on the serum vitamin B12 and folic acid levels and the urinary methyl malonic acid (UMMA) levels as a marker of cobalamine catabolism Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 42 healthy newborn infants. Subjects were divided into two groups. Group 1 and 2 included 22 pre-term and 20 full-term neonates, respectively. The levels of B12, folic acid and UMMA were measured on 20th postnatal day in all cases. In Group 1, twelve infants were fed with breast milk, and the others with formula. Half of the infants in group 2 were fed with breast milk. Results: There was no statistically significant difference for the levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid between two groups (p=0.771, p=0.371). In group 1, the levels of UMMA were found 30.5±9.2 mmol MMA/mol creatinine in the breast-fed neonates, and 47.0±9.7 mmol MMA/mol creatinine in the formula-fed infants. There was a statistically significant difference between groups (p<0.001). In group 2, the levels of UMMA were found 11,0±4.5 mmol MMA/mol creatinine in the breastfed neonates, and 19.0±9.5 mmol MMA/mol creatinine in the formula-fed neonates (p=0.001). Conclusion: Our finding that the levels of UMMA in the formula-fed neonates were higher than the breast-fed infants suggested that breast-feeding has an effect of decreasing the UMMA levels. Key Words: Breast-feeding, Pre-term, Full- term, Methyl malonic acid

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