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Article History

Received: 3 August 2024

Accepted: 24 October 2024

First Online: 19 November 2024

Declarations

:

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Iran University of Medical Sciences with IRB approval No IR.IUMS.REC.1395.9221216310. Informed consent was obtained from all participating mothers, and confidentiality of personal information was strictly maintained throughout the study.

: Breast milk samples were collected from 95 breastfeeding mothers receiving care at the three hospitals. Each participant provided informed consent before sample collection. A detailed checklist was completed for each participant, which included information on sample number, contact number, preterm or term status of infants, mother’s age, education, place of residence, socioeconomic status (monthly income), number of pregnancies, number of breastfed children, special diet (e.g., vegetarian), supplement use during pregnancy, medication use during pregnancy, mother’s illness, infant’s gender, gestational age, and birth weight.,. All participants provided informed consent prior to participation. We explained the purpose of the research, the procedures involved, and the potential risks and benefits. Participants were informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences.