Comparison of breast milk fatty acid composition from mothers of premature infants of three countries using novel dried milk spot technology

This study aimed to determine the accuracy, sensitivity and applicability of the DMS method developed based on the PUFAcoatTM technology. Two hundred breast milk samples were analyzed using the conventional method and compared with the DMS method. In order to evaluate the usefulness of DMS for large scale international studies, we analyzed another 786 breast milk samples collected from mothers of preterm infants who participated in a large clinical trial conducted in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Fatty acids were measured using capillary gas chromatography and results were reported as weight percentage of total fatty acids. Strong correlations and tight variation were observed in total saturated, monounsaturated, n-6 and n-3 PUFAs between the conventional and DMS methods. The DMS method proved to be sensitive in differentiating the breast milk fatty acid profiles of women consuming different habitual diets as evidenced by the differences between the breast milk fatty acid composition between Australian and Singaporean population. This study demonstrates that the DMS and the conventional method provide interchangeable results, and the DMS method is a particularly useful tool for large-scale studies.Summary: Accurate measurements of breast milk fatty acid profile is important to define the dietary fatty acid intake of breastfed infants, and thus to understand the association between level of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) intakes and their potential ben...
Source: Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA) - Category: Lipidology Source Type: research