A new perspectives on breastfeeding practice reconstruction in bioarchaeology – an oxygen isotopes study in an animal model
A new perspectives on breastfeeding practice reconstruction in bioarchaeology – an oxygen isotopes study in an animal model

Summary/Abstract: Research using stable isotopes for the reconstruction of breastfeeding strategies are based onassumptions that have not yet been verified by experimental studies. Interpreting the results of isotopeanalysis is associated with a certain degree of uncertainty, mainly due to the lack of information on howisotopes are distributed in mothers, breast-fed and weaned offspring. Culinary practices also can affect theinterpretation of isotope results.Considering positive correlation between oxygen isotope composition of drinking water and bonephosphates, experimental studies were carried out using rats as an animal model.The experiment showed that apatites of breast-fed offspring were enriched 1.6‰ in comparison to thevalues observed in their mothers. In the boiled water model, the difference was 1.8‰. On the basis of theanimal model, it was estimated that the difference in δ18O between mother and child in the human speciesmay amount to approximately 2.7‰, and long-term intake of boiled liquid food and beverages will notcompensate the difference.The experiment allowed observation of the effect of changes in isotope ratios to a change in trophiclevels during breastfeeding and weaning, as well as the additional effect associated with the consumption ofisotope enriched water during thermal treatment.

• Details
• Contents