>Cheri Casciola
>
>XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>I read the article and it was very basic.  It did not go into detail on what
>effect high nitrates have in babies or breastfeeding mothers.  Can someone
>enlighten me?

I found two relevant articles on PubMed. There may be more, but my search
was conducted under extreme conditions: there's a birthday cake in the oven
*and* a baby just getting up from her nap!

Hope the following helps!

regards,
Julia

1: Food Addit Contam.  2002 Sep;19(9):829-36.

Measured consumption of tap water in German infants and young children as
background for potential health risk assessments: data of the DONALD Study.

Hilbig A, Kersting M, Sichert-Hellert W.

Research Institute of Child Nutrition (FKE), Dortmund, Germany.
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Contaminated tap water can become a health risk, e.g. by metals or
environmental pollution particularly for sensitive population groups such
as infants and young children. There is a lack of data on exactly measured
water intake. In the DONALD Study, individual food and fluid intakes were
measured by use of 3-day weighed diet records. Here we report on the
distribution of individual intakes of tap water in 504 healthy normally
nourished subjects aged 3-36 months (1962 diet records) between 1990 and
1998. We calculate scenarios for potential tap water contamination. Tap
water intake per kg body weight was significantly higher in formula-fed
(FF) infants than in breast-fed (BF) infants. The estimated median intake
of lead and nitrate per kg body weight from tap water was higher in FF
infants than in BF infants or mixed fed (MF) young children. The scenarios
based on intakes at the median, P95 or maximums show that higher risks for
exceeding the presently existing maximums could be expected in FF
infants. Our data could also be used for estimations of potential risks
from other contaminants of tap water.

PMID: 12396394 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]



2: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.  1996 Mar;150(3):311-4.

Does increased nitrate ingestion elevate nitrate levels in human milk?

Dusdieker LB, Stumbo PJ, Kross BC, Dungy CI.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City. USA.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the nitrate content of human milk is
influenced by maternal ingestion of water containing elevated nitrate
levels. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized, volunteer study. SETTING:
Clinical Research Center at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics,
Iowa City. PATIENTS: Twenty healthy lactating women with infants older than
6 months. INTERVENTIONS: The mothers were asked to consume a minimum of
1500 mL of water containing 0 mg of nitrate per liter on day 1, 45 mg on
day 2, and 100 mg on day 3 in addition to consuming and recording their
dietary intake. Breast-feeding was permitted during days 1 and 2, but milk
was expressed on day 3 and the infants were given alternate food sources.
After each 24-hour study day, maternal urine and milk samples were
collected and frozen. A modified cadmium column reduction method
was used to determine spot urinary and milk nitrate content. RESULTS: The
meant total nitrate intake from diet and water on days 1,2, and 3,
respectively, was 46.6, 168.1, and 272.0 mg. Spot urine nitrate content on
days 1, 2, and 3, respectively, was 36.0, 66.0, and 84.0 mg. Nitrate
concentration of human milk on days 1,2, and 3, respectively, was 4.4, 5.1
and 5.2 mg/L. CONCLUSION: Women who consume water with a nitrate
concentration of 100 mg/L or less do not produce milk with elevated nitrate
levels.

PMID: 8603227 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Julia R. Barrett
Freelance Science Writer & Editor
Madison, Wisconsin
608-238-8409; [log in to unmask]

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