[Fatty acid composition of human milk in mothers of preterm and full-term infants in the first three weeks of lactation].
BACKGROUND
It is a classical question of infant nutrition whether fatty acid composition of human milk differs in mothers of preterm as compared to those of full-term infants.


OBJECTIVE
The authors analysed fatty acid composition of milk samples obtained five times during the first month of lactation from mothers of preterm (n = 8, gestational age: 28.0 [4.2] weeks, birthweight: 1235 [420] g, median [IQR]) and full-term (n = 10, gestational age: 38.5 [2.7] weeks, birthweight: 3375 [282] g) infants with high-resolution capillary gas-liquid chromatography.


RESULTS
Maternal age, body mass index and eating habits of the mothers did not differ between the two groups. Neither did fat contents of human milk differ between the two groups. Values of linoleic (C18:2omega-6) and alpha-linolenic (C18:3omega-3) acid did not differ. Values of arachidonic acid (C20:4omega-6) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6omega-3) were significantly higher following preterm as compared to full-term delivery. Values of the intermediary metabolites g-linolenic acid (C18:3omega-6), dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (C20:3omega-6), octadecanotetraenoic acid (C18:4omega-3) and eicosatrienoic acid (C20:3omega-3) were also significantly higher in human milk samples of mothers of preterm as compared to those of full-term infants.


CONCLUSIONS
Significantly higher contribution of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in breast milk of mothers giving birth to preterm as compared to full-term infants supports the concept, that preterm infants would benefit more from feeding their own mothers milk than from receiving donor milk.
Marosvölgyi
Tamás
T
Pécsi Tudományegyetem, Orvos- es Egészségtudományi Centrum, Altalános Orvostudományi Kar, Gyermekgyógyászati Klinika.
Kovács
Andrea
A
Lohner
Szimonetta
S
Funke
Simone
S
Burus
István
I
Decsi
Tamás
T
D000328:Adult; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007774:Lactation; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
D005227:Fatty Acids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid