Enzymatic evaluation of riboflavin status of infants.

Researchers compared the riboflavin status of 55 solely breast fed (SBF) 1-6 month old infants with 112 SBF partially breast fed (PBF) or weaned 6-24 month old infants from low income families in India. They measured in vitro activation of erythrocyte glutathione reductase with its coenzyme FAD in blood samples from 6-12 month old infants and both the 1-6 month old infants and mothers to determine riboflavin status. They also analyzed the fore milk for riboflavin concentration. The riboflavin status of the 1-6 month old SBF infants was much greater than that of the mothers especially beginning with 3 month old infants (p Rs 500) tended to begin supplemental feeding earlier than poorer mothers. The most significant finding was the beneficial effects of supplementary feeding on riboflavin status in 6-8 month old infants. Scientists suspect that riboflavin deficiency affects psychomotor functions and impairs collagen maturity and wound healing.