Zinc Deficiency in Suckling Mice Deprived of Colostrum
January 1953
in “
The journal of nutrition/The Journal of nutrition
”
TLDR Newborn mice need colostrum for zinc to grow normally.
Newborn mice deprived of colostrum and nursed by foster mothers in later lactation stages developed various disorders, including retarded growth, skin alterations (such as alopecia and hyperkeratinization), and deformed nails, due to zinc deficiency. These disorders were prevented by oral zinc administration, indicating that colostrum contains significantly higher zinc levels than later milk.