Colostrum Total Protein Content in Iranian Boy and Girl-Delivered Mothers

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate colostrum total protein differences between left and right breasts and between mothers of boy and girl infants. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study for delivery was carried out on 30 boy-delivered and 30 girl-delivered mothers aged 16 to 36 years, conducted at the Izadi and Al-Zahra Hospitals in Qom city, Iran. Colostrum was collected from both breasts by manual milking within the first day of delivery. Total protein concentration was assessed by Biuret method using affiliated kits. The data was analyzed through the student’s t-test using the SPSS program. Results: Colostrum total protein was significantly higher in the left (166.9±13.1 mg/ml) and right (165.3±14.7 mg/ml) breasts of the boy-delivered mothers than in the left (144.8±4.1 mg/ ml) and right (122.7.3±7.4 mg/ml) breasts of the girl-delivered ones. It was also significantly higher in the left breast than the right breast in the girl-delivered mothers. However, there was no significant difference between the two breast colostrum total protein levels in the boydelivered mothers. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that total protein of colostrum in the boydelivered mothers is greater than the girl-delivered mothers.