Background : Breast milk contains bioactive substances that support immune system maturity, organ system development, and normal flora colonization in neonates. Growth factors in breast milk that is known to have a significant role in the maturity of the neonate intestine is Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I). IGF-I is a single chain peptide, a potent stimulator of proliferation and hypertrophic growth. IGF-I exhibits protective effects during inflammation and neonatal gastrointestinal apoptosis. Human breast milk itself was affected by maternal nutritional status. The aim of this study was to determine correlation between maternal nutritional status (body mass index) and neonatal birth weight with IGF-1 levels of breast milk.
Material : Twenty three pairs of mothers- neonates were collected in November to December 2017. Maternal nutritional status was obtained by measuring body mass index. IGF-I levels of breast milk were measured by ELISA method. The correlation analysis of IGF-I levels of breast milk with maternal body mass index and neonatal birth weight was calculated by Pearson Correlation test.
Results : Twelve mother was categorised overweight and obese with body mass index 25 or more, while the remain was normal. Mean neonatal body weight was 2078. There was a significant correlation between IGF-I levels of breast milk with neonatal birth weight (r = 0.426; p = 0.038) and maternal body mass index (r = 0.593; p = 0.003).
Conclusions : The IGF-I levels of breast milk are positively correlate to maternal nutritional status and neonatal birth weight.