AIM: to investigate the profile and the contents of FA, especially of long chain (LC)-PUFA, in breast milk during prolonged lactation.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: recruitment of mothers after delivery of full-term infants (>37-42 weeks gestational age). Collection of pooled breast milk (hindmilk) over 24 hours at the first day (colostrum), at 1, 3, 6 and 9 months of lactation. Lipid extraction by chloroform-methanol and analysis of FA methyl esters (weight%) by capillary gas-chromatography. Values are expressed as mean±SD. Preliminary data from 32 mothers are here reported.
RESULTS: total milk lipids raise from 1.29±0.7 to 5.96±3.1 g/dl from colostrum to the 3rd month, and remain constant afterward. The percentages of 18-C essential PUFA do not change, while the major modifications concern the 20-C LC-PUFA up to the 3rd month. Among n-6 PUFA, 20:3 and 20:4 significantly decrease (from 0.76±0.29 to 0.41±0.06 and from 0.98±0.22 to 0.50±0.07 respectively). In addition, levels of 20:3 n-9 fall from 0.87±0.06 to 0.14±0.04. In the n-3 series, a rise of 20:5 takes place in concomitance with reduction of 22:6 levels.
CONCLUSIONS: the high levels of 20-C LC-PUFA, including 20:3 n-9 but not 20:5 n-3, in colostrum are an index of the high demand for these components by the infants during the period of the highest growth rate.
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Marangoni, F., Agostoni, C., Risè, P. et al. Changes of the Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) Composition of Breast Milk from Mothers of Full-Term Infants During 9 Months Of Lactation. 157. Pediatr Res 40, 541 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199609000-00180
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199609000-00180