Hello readers!

I recently came across an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine
regarding calcium supplementation while breastfeeding.  This information
relayed to me that calcium supplementation had no detectable benefit in
lactating women with a usual dietary intake of less than 800 mg per day
(Prentice, 1997, p. 558) Knowing that supplementation is not needed for
lactating mothers with adequate dietary intake I still question how this
pertains to mothers who are intolerant of milk since calcium supplements
help to prevent unnecessary calcium loss from bones in these women
(Williams & Worthington-Roberts, 1997, p. 340).  Is calcium
supplementation beneficial to lactating women intolerant of milk?

     Prentice, A. (1997).  Calcium suuplementation during
breast-feeding.  The New England Journal of Medicine, 337(8), 558-559.

     Williams, S.R. & Worthington-Roberts, B.S. (1997).  Nutrition in
pregnancy and lactation (6th ed).  Madison, WI:  Brown & Benchmark.


Heidi Westphal, SN
University of North Dakota - College of Nursing