According to a study by Munoz, Lonnerdal, Keen, and Dewey, mothers who drank over 450 mL of coffee a day had lower levels of
iron in their breast milk as compared to non-drinkers.
But an infant can absorb as much as 50 percent of
the iron in breast milk.
The calcium and
iron in breast milk are also more easily absorbed.
Babies can use more than 50 % of
the iron in breast milk compared to less than 12 % of the iron in formula.
It was once thought that babies being breastfed needed iron supplements because human milk is low in iron, but it's been discovered that
the iron in breast milk is very well absorbed.
It may only be a small amount, but it's enough for your child because babies absorb
the iron in breast milk very well.
In fact, they absorb
the iron in breast milk much better than they absorb the iron in infant formula.
The iron in breast milk is more easily absorbed than iron in formula so a breastfed baby will actually get more iron than a formula fed baby.
Lactoferrin may be one of the reasons a baby can absorb
the iron in breast milk so well.
It is estimated that infants can use greater than 50 % of
the iron in breast milk as compared to less than 12 % of the iron in infant formula [1].
Over 50 % of
the iron in breast milk is absorbed.
Formula - Fed Babies: The iron in infant formula is not as easily absorbed as
the iron in breast milk.
However, there is some controversy over this advice with regard to breastfed babies, because
the iron in breast milk is extremely well absorbed.
This is because
the iron in breast milk becomes «bound» by the solid food they are consuming (commonly infant rice cereal).