Fatty acid composition of plasma and erythrocytes in term infants fed human milk and formulae with and without docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acids from egg yolk lecithin

Human milk contains small but nutritionally significant amounts of long-cha in polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCP), such as arachidonic (AA, 20:4n-6) and docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22:6n-3) acids, which are not present in most infant formulae. In the present study, the fatty acid composition of plasma and e rythrocytes was determined at birth and again at 7 days, 1 and 3 months in 49 healthy full-term infants (37-42 week's gestation). One group of infants was fed exclusively with human milk (n = 16) and the others were randomly assigned to a standard term formula (F) (n = 15) or the same formula with e gg yolk lecithin providing DHA (0.15%) and AA (0.30%) (LCP-F) (n = 18). Pla sma and erythrocyte LCP values of the three dietary groups did not differ a t 7 days of age, but the contents of DHA and AA in plasma and erythrocytes at I and 3 months were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in infants fed non su pplemented formula than in infants fed breast milk and supplemented formula . There were no differences in plasma or erythrocyte AA or DHA concentratio ns between the group fed breast milk and the group fed supplemented formula during the period studied. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All righ ts reserved.