Trans fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids in the milk of urban women and nomadic Fulani of northern Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
Trans fatty acids (TFAs) and conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) are present in dairy products and human milk and can have detrimental and beneficial effects in humans. The content of TFAs and CLAs in milk is determined largely by the diet of the mother.


METHODS
We compared the proportions of TFAs and CLAs in the milk of rural Fulani in northern Nigeria who consume dairy products to that of women living in an urban center who consume little in the way of dairy products. Lactating Fulani women (n=41) and women residing in the city of Jos, Nigeria (n=41) were recruited into the study. We predicted that the milk of the Fulani pastoralists would contain higher amounts of TFAs and CLAs compared to their urban counterparts.


RESULTS
The mean total TFA proportions for the Fulani and urban women were 0.22% and 0.34%, respectively, and were not significantly different. The percentages of CLAs in milk fat were not different between rural and urban women (0.16% vs 0.14%). These TFA and CLA values were 4- to 10-fold lower than for milk of women elsewhere in the world.


CONCLUSIONS
The percentages of TFAs and CLAs in milk were not different between rural and urban dwellers in northern Nigeria whose diets differ greatly in the amounts of dairy products they contain. However, the fact that the percentages of TFAs and CLAs in the milk of Nigerian women were much lower than the percentages reported from other parts of the world may have implications for the long-term growth and development of infants in the northern Nigeria and elsewhere in the Western Sahel.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, MSC08 4670, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA, and Department of Family Medicine, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.
Robert H
RH
Glew
Joseph H
JH
Herbein
Monica H
MH
Moya
Jessica M
JM
Valdez
Michael
M
Obadofin
Wendy A
WA
Wark
Dorothy J
DJ
Vanderjagt
D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D044243:Linoleic Acids, Conjugated / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D009549:Nigeria; D012424:Rural Population; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014505:Urban Population
D044243:Linoleic Acids, Conjugated; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids