Dietary 18 : 3n-3 and 22 : 6n-3 as sources of 22 : 6n-3 accretion in neonatal baboon brain and associated organs

The bioequivalence of dietary linolenic acid (LNA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for brain DHA accretion was measured in neonatal baboons at 4-6 wk o f age using stable isotope tracers. Neonates consumed a conventional U.S. t erm-infant formula devoid of long chain polyunsaturates and with an n-6/n-3 ratio of about 10:1. At 4 wk of age, neonates were dosed with either C-13 LNA or C-13 DHA. At 6 wk of age, neonate brain, retina, and other organs we re harvested for far, acid and isotopic analyses. The relative accretion of labeled DHA was 7-fold greater as a percentage of dose for the DHA-dosed a nimals compared to the LNA-dosed animals. The baboon is an omnivore that re gularly consumes meat and insects; its plasma lipid profile responds simila rly to humans in response to changes in feeding and living habits. These ob servations suggest that the baboon is a suitable model for human unsaturate d fatty acid studies.