SELENIUM AND IODINE SUPPLY OF NEWBORNS IN STYRIA, AUSTRIA, FED WITH HUMAN-MILK AND MILK FORMULAS

We investigated the supply of newborns in Styria with the essential tr ace elements selenium and iodine by analyzing 33 and 32 human milk sam ples in 1990 and 1992, respectively. Additionally 17 milk formula prod ucts were analyzed. The selenium concentration in human milk showed a median of 8 mug/l (range 3-17 mug/l) and 9 mug/l (range 1-18 mug/1) in the two years. In 16 milk formulas a median selenium concentration of 3.5 mug/l (range 1-7 mug/l) was found. That is only about 44% of the selenium concentration in human milk. In 1990 a median iodine concentr ation of 29 mug/l (range 0-146 mug/l) was determined in human milk. 19 92 there was a clear tendency towards increasing iodine concentrations with a median of 50 mug/l (range 0-254 mug/l). However this differenc e did not reach statistical significance. Here the raise of iodine con centration in common salt to 20 mg KJ/kg could have taken effect. The median iodine concentration in 17 milk formulas was 57 mug/l (range 7- 417 mug/l). In conclusion it can be said that the low supply of the po pulation in Styria with selenium and iodine is reflected by the concen tration of these trace elements in human milk. In comparison to human milk the milk formulas show an even lower concentration of selenium. D ue to the iodine supplementation the iodine concentration of milk form ulas are slightly higher.