Premium
Dietary fatty acid determinants of human milk fatty acids.
Author(s) -
Innis Sheila M,
King D Janette
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.344.4
Subject(s) - breast milk , docosahexaenoic acid , fatty acid , lactation , gestation , polyunsaturated fatty acid , food science , biology , chemistry , endocrinology , pregnancy , biochemistry , genetics
Human milk provides fatty acids (FA) for energy and essential n‐6 and n‐3 FA to support infant growth and development. The n‐3 FA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) particularly important because of its crucial role in neural development and function. Low milk DHA is associated with poor infant visual and neural development. Using a longitudinal blinded intervention with 400mg/d DHA or placebo in gestation, we addressed the relationship between maternal n‐6 and n‐3 fatty acid status in gestation and DHA secretion in milk, and dietary determinants fatty acid intake and milk fatty acids. Blood was collected at 16 and 36 wks gestation, then breast milk collected at 1 mth postpartum for 156 mothers who exclusively breast fed term infants. FA was determined using 100m capillary column GLC. Fatty acid methodology, recovering trans and medium chain FA, impacts the number and accuracy of FA quantization, and data interpretation. Milk DHA was positively correlated to maternal DHA in gestation, varied from 0.06 to 1.25% milk FA, and was inversely related to milk trans FA. Medium chain FA from mammary gland synthesis, varied 3 fold, and were inversely related to milk 18:2n‐6 and 18:3n‐3, but not DHA, 20:5n‐3 or 20:4n‐6. Milk FA vary widely; diets high in hydrogenated fats are associated with low milk DHA, while diets rich in unsaturated vegetable oils may lower MCFA secretion in human milk. Supported by CIHR.