Fatty acid composition in breast milk and serum phospholipids of healthy term Chinese infants during first 6 weeks of life.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the fatty acid (FA) pattern in early and mature breast milk with that in plasma phospholipids of cord blood and breast-fed infants.


METHODS
Forty-five mother-infant pairs from western Shanghai were studied. All infants, born at term with normal weight and length, were examined at birth and days 5 and 42. FA was analyzed by capillary gas-liquid chromatography.


RESULTS
Cord blood showed higher concentration of long-chain polyunsaturated FA (LCPUFA) but lower saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated (MUFA) FA than postnatal infants' plasma. SFA decreased with age in the infants, but MUFA and linoleic acid (LA, 18:2omega6) increased. LCPUFA were lower in the plasma of 5-day-old infants than in cord blood, but LA was 80%, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3omega3) 33% and the ratio omega-6/omega-3 42% higher. At day 42, LA increased further, LCPUFA remained similar, and was in breast milk lower than at day 5, while ALA and gamma-linolenic acid (18:3omega6) were higher. The activity index of desaturases indicated high Delta9 activity in breast milk and high activity of Delta5 desaturase in the infants.


CONCLUSIONS
Breast milk FA composition changed markedly from day 5 to 42 with increasing correlation to infants' plasma. Calculation of desaturase activities suggested high capacity of LCPUFA synthesis.
Peng
Y M
YM
Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. ympeng99@yahoo.com.cn
Zhang
T Y
TY
Wang
Q
Q
Zetterström
R
R
Strandvik
B
B
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002681:China; D004032:Diet; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors
D005227:Fatty Acids; D010743:Phospholipids