Low-dose thiamine supplementation of lactating Cambodian mothers improves human milk thiamine concentrations: a randomized controlled trial

Publication: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Gallant, J., Chan, K., Green, T., Wieringa, F., Leemaqz, S., Ngik, R., Measelle, J., Baldwin, D., Borath, M., Sophonneary, P., Yelland, L., Hampel, D., Shahab-Ferdows, S., Allen, L., Jones, K., Koulman, A., Parkington, D., Meadows, S., Kroeun, H. and Whitfield, K.

7 April 2021


Infantile beriberi–related mortality is still common in South and Southeast Asia. Interventions to increase maternal thiamine intakes, and thus human milk thiamine, are warranted; however, the required dose remains unknown.

In this study the researchers sought to estimate the dose at which additional maternal intake of oral thiamine no longer meaningfully increased milk thiamine concentrations in infants at 24 wk postpartum, and to investigate the impact of 4 thiamine supplementation doses on milk and blood thiamine status biomarkers.

Healthy mothers were recruited in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. At 2 wk postpartum, women were randomly assigned to consume 1 capsule, containing 0, 1.2 (estimated average requirement), 2.4, or 10 mg of thiamine daily from 2 through 24 weeks postpartum.

Human milk total thiamine concentrations were measured and maternal and infant blood thiamine biomarkers were also assessed.

The results showed that milk thiamine concentrations were significantly higher in all intervention groups compared with the placebo group and did not significantly differ from each other. Furthermore, 1.2 mg/d for 22 weeks was sufficient to increase milk thiamine concentrations to similar levels achieved by higher supplementation doses (2.4 and 10 mg/d), and comparable to those of healthy mothers in regions without beriberi.
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