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  • Original Article
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Breastfeeding's protection against illness-induced anorexia is mediated partially by docosahexaenoic acid

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 32–38 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To test whether breastfeeding's protection against anorectic responses to infection is mediated by n−3 fatty acids’ attenuation of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α.

Design:

Experimental and observational studies.

Setting:

A hospital-based study was conducted.

Subjects:

Five groups of infants were followed; three in the experimental and two in the observational study.

Methods:

Breast-fed- (BF-1), DHA-supplemented formula- (SFF-1), and non-DHA-supplemented formula-fed (FF-1) infants were studied before and after immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and haemophilus influenzae type b. Pre- and post-immunization energy intakes (EI) and serum IL-1β and TNFα were measured. The two other groups, breast-fed (BF-2) and formula-fed (FF-2) infants with pneumonia were followed throughout hospitalization. EI, IL-1β and TNFα were measured at admission and discharge. Baseline erythrocyte fatty acid contents were determined.

Results:

Both cytokines increased following immunization in all feeding groups. Post-immunization reductions in EI of SFF-1 infants (−11.8±5%, CI95=−23.3, 1.4%, P=0.07) were intermediate to those observed in BF-1 (−5.2±4.2%, CI95=−15.2, 5.9%, P=0.27) and FF-1 infants (−18±4.4%, CI95=−29%, −5.4%, P=0.02). In the observational study, TNFα (17.2±8.3 vs 3.4±3.0 ng/l, P=0.001) and decreases in EI (−31±43 vs −15±31%, CI95=−34%, 0.001%, P=0.056) were greater in FF-2 than in BF-2 infants at admission. Breastfeeding duration was associated positively with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) erythrocyte contents, and negatively with admission TNFα. Decreases in EIs were associated with IL-1β and TNFα concentrations.

Conclusion:

Reductions in EI following immunologic or infectious stimuli were associated with increases in IL-1β and TNFα. Those reductions were attenuated by breastfeeding, and mediated in part by tissue DHA.

Sponsorship:

This research was supported by grants from the Nestlé Foundation and the CONACYT Mexico. Nutricia Kasdorf (Buenos Aires, Argentina) provided supplemented and unsupplemented formulas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Boston College, Boston, MA, USA

    C Garza

  2. Unidad de Investigación Médica en Nutrición, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional ‘Siglo XXI’. Mexican Institute of Social Security, Mexico City, Mexico

    M López-Alarcón, M del Prado, P A García-Zúñiga & L Barbosa

Authors
  1. M López-Alarcón
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  2. C Garza
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  3. M del Prado
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  4. P A García-Zúñiga
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  5. L Barbosa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M López-Alarcón.

Additional information

Contributors: MLA conceived the original idea together with CG, performed the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the first draft; CG conceived and refined the original idea, advised on study design and data analysis and critically appraised the paper; MDP supervised the project especially on the lab determination and analyses of fatty acids; LB and PAGZ participated in data collection, clinical measurements and laboratory determinations.

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López-Alarcón, M., Garza, C., del Prado, M. et al. Breastfeeding's protection against illness-induced anorexia is mediated partially by docosahexaenoic acid. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 32–38 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602686

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