Nutritional State of Biotin in Infants Fed Formulas and Maternal Milk

Abstract

To clarify the different nutritional states of biotin between infants fed maternal milk or infant formulas, this study was undertaken to determine the biotin concentrations in serum and urine. There was no difference in serum biotin concentration among these infants. However, in early infants fed maternal milk, the urinary biotin concentration was 14.1 μg/g creatinine in average, compared to 70.2μg/g creatinine in infants fed maternal milk. This may be partly due to the lower concentration of biotin in colostrum, compared with mature milk. On the other hand, the urinary biotin concentrations were low in infants fed either standard formulas (for nursing of normal infants) or special formulas which were specially prepared for medical treatment and prevention of disease as well. These findings suggest that the biotin intake of these infants fed formulas, especially special formulas, may be not enough. The infant formulas should be appropriately improved to maintain normal growth and good health.