VISUAL-ACUITY DEVELOPMENT AND FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF ERYTHROCYTES IN FULL-TERM INFANTS FED BREAST-MILK, COMMERCIAL FORMULA, OR EVAPORATED MILK

The effects of feeding breast milk (BM), commercial formula (F), or ev aporated cow milk (EM) formula on visual acuity and erythrocyte phosph atidylethanolamine fatty acid levels were examined in fullterm infants . Visual acuity was assessed at 3, 6 (BM, F, EM), and 18 (BM, EM) mont hs, and erythrocyte phosphatidylethanolamine levels were determined at birth, 3, and 6 months of age. Visual acuity was significantly higher in the BM-fed than in the EM-fed group at 3 months and at 6 months, w ith intermediate but not significantly different values in the F-fed g roup at both ages. Docosahexaenoic acid levels were significantly high er in the BM-fed than in the F-fed or EM-fed group at 3 and 6 months o f age and were lowest in the F-fed group; this might be related to hig h levels of linoleic acid in F. F-fed and EM-fed infants had lower ara chidonic acid levels than did BM-fed infants at 3 months but not at 6 months.