Egg yolk as a source of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in infant feeding.
In this paper we compare the fatty acid content of egg yolks from hens fed four different feeds as a source of docosahexaenoic acid to supplement infant formula. Greek eggs contain more docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 omega 3) and less linoleic acid (LA, 18:2 omega 6) and alpha-linolenic acid (LNA, 18:3 omega 3) than do fish-meal or flax eggs. Two to three grams of Greek egg yolk may provide an adequate amount of DHA and arachidonic acid for a preterm neonate. Mean intake of breast milk at age 1 mo provides 250 mg long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. This amount can be obtained from less than 1 yolk of a Greek egg (0.94), greater than 1 yolk of flax eggs (1.6) and fish-meal eggs (1.4), or 8.3 yolks of supermarket eggs. With proper manipulation of the hens' diets, eggs could be produced with fatty acid composition similar to that of Greek eggs.
Simopoulos
A P
AP
Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, Washington, DC 20009.
Salem
N
N
D004530:Egg Yolk / Q000737:chemistry*; D004531:Eggs / Q000145:classification; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007231:Infant, Newborn
D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated