Review of sn-2 palmitate oil implications for infant health

Abstract

Human milk provides the optimal balanced nutrition for the growing infant in the first months after birth. The human mammary gland has evolved with unusual pathways, resulting in a specific positioning of fatty acids at the outer sn-1 and sn-3, and center sn-2 of the triacylglyceride, which is different from the triglycerides in other human tissues and plasma. The development of structured triglycerides enables mimicking the composition as well as structure of human milk fat in infant formulas. Studies conducted two decades ago, together with very recent studies, have provided increasing evidence that this unusual positioning of 16:0 in human milk triglycerides has a significant role for infant health in different directions, such as fat and calcium absorption, bone health, intestinal flora and infant comfort. This review aims to unravel the relevance of human milk triglyceride sn-2 16:0 for intestinal health and inflammatory pathways and for other post-absorption effects.

Optimization and validation of HRLC-MS method to identify and quantify triacylglycerol molecular species in human milk

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Humans, including infants, are exposed to heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), and lead (Pb). 7 Vitamins can chelate heavy metal and lessen the oxidative stress caused by heavy metals.…”

“…4 Fat from human milk is the main source of energy for infants and about 40-50% of the energy in human milk is provided by fatty acids and triacylglycerol (TAG). 1,5,6 TAGs account for 98% of the fat in human milk. 4,8 They are composed of three fatty acids esteried to a glycerol backbone with the glycerol carbons stereo-specically numbered as sn-2 (center) and sn-1,3 (outer) 1,8 (Fig.…”

“…11 Human milk is a remarkable example of the stereo-specic positioning of fatty acids with TAGs structures that are both highly conserved and unusual in the enrichment of the saturated fatty acid at the sn-2 position, rather than at the sn-1,3 positions. 1,8 This special fatty acid distribution in human milk TAGs enhances the absorption of fat and calcium, inu-encing the subsequent TAGs metabolism in infants. 1,8,10 Especially, the usual positioning of saturated fatty acids, such as palmitate, in human milk triglycerides promotes the absorption of minerals, saturated fatty acids, and calcium in term and preterm infants.…”

“…1,8 This special fatty acid distribution in human milk TAGs enhances the absorption of fat and calcium, inu-encing the subsequent TAGs metabolism in infants. 1,8,10 Especially, the usual positioning of saturated fatty acids, such as palmitate, in human milk triglycerides promotes the absorption of minerals, saturated fatty acids, and calcium in term and preterm infants. 1,8,10 Due to recent advances in lipid technology, triglycerides can now be synthesized with palmitate in the sn-2 position.…”

Efficient Separation and Analysis of Triacylglycerols: Quantitation of β-Palmitate (OPO) in Oils and Infant Formulas

“…2−4 One lipid component of ongoing commercial interest is 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol (OPO), the major triacylglycerol (TG) species in human milk, comprising 11.8% of the total triacylglycerols there. 5 According to current views, TGs possessing saturated fatty acids at the glycerol side positions (also referred to as α-, or sn-1 and sn-3 positions) may have an adverse effect on a baby's digestion due to the formation of insoluble calcium salts. This is believed to reduce the bioavailability of calcium and is a cause of constipation.…”