DIET AND THE ESSENTIAL FATTY-ACID STATUS OF TERM INFANTS

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids with 20 and 22 carbon atoms (LC Ps) seem to play an important role during the rapid development of the infant brain in the late fetal and early postnatal period. These LCPs are integral constituents of biological membranes and they are involv ed in the regulation of functional properties like fluidity, permeabil ity and activity of membrane-bound enzymes. Human milk contains LCPs i n an amount of 0.5-3 wt% of total fatty acids, whereas commercially av ailable infant formulae are almost free of them. Recently, several cli nical trials, primarily with preterm infants, have reported that the c ontent of LCPs in the blood and a functional parameter like visual acu ity correlate with the content of LCPs in the diet. In this clinical t rial we studied the effect of different diets on the fatty acid patter n of plasma and erythrocyte lipids of healthy term infants during the first 3 months of life. Breast-fed infants were compared with formula- fed babies who received a commercially available formula without LCPs or a new experimental formula enriched with LCPs that was similar to h uman milk. The results indicate that the introduction of milk feeding leads to marked differences in the blood lipid composition during the first months of life, independent of the feeding regimen. Secondly, th e supplementation of a formula with LCPs seems to result in a blood li pid composition similar to infants fed with human milk. This supports the hypothesis that the newborn term infant has a limited desaturating capacity and depends on an exogenous supply of LCPs during the first months of life.