Acute effects of dietary fatty acids on the fatty acids of human milk

Abstract

Although it is known that the fatty acid profile of human milk is altered by diet, the rapidity with which this occurs has not been addressed. We hypothesized that after absorption the fatty acids of a given meal would be transferred rapidly from the chylomicrons of the blood into human milk. Fourteen lactating women drank six test formulas, each containing a different fat: menhaden oil, herring oil, safflower oil, canola oil, coconut oil, or cocoa butter. The subjects collected a midfeeding milk sample before consuming the breakfast test formula and additional samples at 6, 10, 14, and 24 h and then once daily for 4-7 d. Fatty acids of special interest included eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids from menhaden oil, cetoleic acid from herring oil, linoleic acid from safflower oil, linolenic acid from canola oil, lauric acid from coconut oil, and palmitic and stearic acids from cocoa butter. Each of these fatty acids increased significantly in human milk within 6 h of consumption of the test formulas (P < 0.001). Maximum increases occurred 10 h after safflower oil; 14 h after cocoa utter, coconut oil, canola oil, and menhaden oil (eicosapentaenoic acid); and 24 h after herring oil and menhaden oil (docosahexaenoic acid). All of these fatty acids remained significantly elevated in milk (P < 0.05) for 10-24 h, except for docosahexaenoic acid, which remained significantly elevated for 2 d, and eicosapentaenoic acid, which remained elevated for 3 d. These data support the hypothesis that there is a rapid transfer of dietary fatty acids from chylomicrons into human milk.

Can Prenatal N-3 Fatty Acid Deficiency Be Completely Reversed after Birth? Effects on Retinal and Brain Biochemistry and Visual Function in Rhesus Monkeys

“…The synthesis of DHA from alpha-linolenic acid occurs slowly, and the feeding of alpha-linolenic acid in humans does not produce an appreciable increase in plasma or breast milk DHA (31)(32)(33). Dietary alpha-linolenic acid was ultimately effective at reversing most of the biochemical deficiency in rhesus monkeys in the current long-term study.…”

Ligand-Activated PPARα-Dependent DNA Demethylation Regulates the Fatty Acid β-Oxidation Genes in the Postnatal Liver

“…In this study, maternal administration of Wy during the lactation period triggers DNA demethylation of the fatty acid b-oxidation genes, suggesting that DNA demethylation in the neonatal liver can be controlled by the PPARa ligands delivered to the pup via breast milk. Evidence has suggested that the fatty acid composition of breast milk is affected by maternal nutritional condition (35,36). It is reported that PPARa serves as an adaptive mechanism to nutritional changes such as an excess of lipid intake and fasting (8).…”

Seafood as functional food

“…The DHA amount in the mother's milk is variable, and depends on the mother's diet. The American and European women's milk contains about 0.15 to 0.3% of DHA (Dontson et al, 1992;Birch et al 1998;François et al, 1998), while, in other parts of the world, the DHA amount in the mother's milk can reach 0.1 to 1.4% of the total fatty acids (Innis, 1992). The ω-3 fatty acids are essential for the development of nerve cells, neurons and glial cells.…”