Vitamin E in human serum and colostrum under fasting and postprandial conditions.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate alpha-tocopherol concentrations in maternal serum and colostrum under fasting and postprandial conditions. METHODS Thirty healthy childbearing women were recruited in a public maternity hospital, and samples of blood, fasting colostrum, and postprandial colostrum were collected from them up to 12 hours after delivery. RESULTS The serum alpha-tocopherol concentration was 1,939.8+/-766.0 microg/dL. Alpha-tocopherol levels in fasting colostrum (1,603.4+/-911.0 microg/dL) and in postprandial colostrum (1,515.0+/-890.9 microg/dL) did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). There was correlation between alpha-tocopherol levels in fasting and postprandial colostrum (p < 0.05), but not between serum and colostrum. CONCLUSION The lack of correlation between alpha-tocopherol levels in plasma and in colostrum, and the correlation between alpha-tocopherol concentrations in fasting and postprandial colostrum support the existence of a mechanism that controls the transfer of this nutrient, regardless of dietary intake.