Effect of docosahexaenoic acid supplementation of lactating women on the fatty acid composition of breast milk lipids and maternal and infant plasma phospholipids

To determine whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation of breast-f eeding mothers increases the DHA contents of breast milk and infant plasma phospholipids (PPs) breast-feeding women were randomly assigned to 3 DHA-su pplementation groups(170-260 mg/d) or a control group. Group 1 (n = 6) cons umed an algae-produced high-DHA triacylglycerol; group 2(n = 6) consumed hi gh-DHA eggs; group 3 (n = 6) consumed a high-DHA, low-eicosapentaenoic acid marine oil; and group 4 (n = 6) received no supplementation. From before t o after supplementation (2 and 8 wk postpartum), mean (+/-SD) maternal PP D HA increased in groups I, 2, and 3 by 1.20 +/- 0.53, 0.63 +/- 0.82, and 0.7 6 +/- 0.35 mol% of fatty acids, respectively (23-41%), but decreased in gro up 4 by 0.44 +/- 0.34 mol% (15%). Breast-milk DHA of groups 1, 3, and 3 inc reased by 0.21 +/- 0.16, 0.07 +/- 0.11, and 0.12 +/- 0.07 mol%, respectivel y (32-91%) but decreased in group 4 by 0.03 +/- 0.04 mol% (17%). Mean infan t PP DHA in groups 1, 2, and 3 increased by 1.63 +/- 0.79, 0.40 +/- 1.0, an d 0.98 +/- 0.61 mol%, respectively (11-42%), but only by 0.18 +/- 0.74 mol% (5%) in group 4. Correlations between the DHA contents of maternal plasma and breast milk and of milk and infant PPs were significant. Breast-milk an d maternal and infant PP 22:n-6 concentrations were lowest in group 2. DHA supplementation increases the plasma and breast-milk DHA concentrations of lactating women, resulting in higher PP DHA concentrations in infants.