Composition of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human milk and growth of young infants in rural areas of northern China

The main source of fat in the diet in rural areas of northern China is soyb ean oil, therefore the pattern of essential fatty acids in human milk may b e assumed to differ from that in milk from women in Western countries and t o be similar to that of vegans. The concentrations of long chain polyunsatu rated fatty acids in human milk and information on diet were analysed for 4 1 lactating women in rural areas of north China, and the growth of their in fants was measured. The subjects were divided into two groups (group I, 1 m o postpartum; group II, 3 mo postpartum). The dietary intake of the mothers was high in carbohydrate and low in fat, protein and energy. The concentra tions of linoleic acid (LA) and a-linolenic acid (LNA) were high. The ratio of LA to LNA, (21.6), was higher than has been reported from other countri es. The concentration of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was low and the ratio o f arachidonic acid (AA) to DHA was much higher (2.8) than recommended and s imilar to that found in vegans. The concentrations of AA and DHA in the mil k correlated positively with the infants' weight gain at the third month (p < 0.05) and of DHA with length gain at the first and third months (p < 0.0 1). Since the concentration of AA and, particularly, DHA in the milk declin ed during lactation, DHA deficiency may appear after 3-4 mo of age in breas tfed Chinese rural infants. Further studies of Chinese rural mother-infant pairs are necessary to prove whether supplementation with suitable sources of AA and DHA, such as fish oil, should be recommended as lactation is leng thened to ensure optimal infant growth and development.