Cargando…
Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition Is Associated with Infant Temperament
There is growing evidence that omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty-acids (PUFAs) are important for the brain development in childhood and are necessary for an optimal health in adults. However, there have been no studies examining how the n-3 PUFA composition of human milk influences infant behavior...
Autores principales: | , , |
---|---|
Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
MDPI
2019
|
Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6949911/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31817237 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu11122964 |
_version_ | 1783485948025110528 |
---|---|
author | Hahn-Holbrook, Jennifer Fish, Adi Glynn, Laura M. |
author_facet | Hahn-Holbrook, Jennifer Fish, Adi Glynn, Laura M. |
author_sort | Hahn-Holbrook, Jennifer |
collection | PubMed |
description | There is growing evidence that omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty-acids (PUFAs) are important for the brain development in childhood and are necessary for an optimal health in adults. However, there have been no studies examining how the n-3 PUFA composition of human milk influences infant behavior or temperament. To fill this knowledge gap, 52 breastfeeding mothers provided milk samples at 3 months postpartum and completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R), a widely used parent-report measure of infant temperament. Milk was assessed for n-3 PUFAs and omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs using gas-liquid chromatography. The total fat and the ratio of n-6/n-3 fatty acids in milk were also examined. Linear regression models revealed that infants whose mothers’ milk was richer in n-3 PUFAs had lower scores on the negative affectivity domain of the IBQ-R, a component of temperament associated with a risk for internalizing disorders later in life. These associations remained statistically significant after considering covariates, including maternal age, marital status, and infant birth weight. The n-6 PUFAs, n-6/n-3 ratio, and total fat of milk were not associated with infant temperament. These results suggest that mothers may have the ability to shape the behavior of their offspring by adjusting the n-3 PUFA composition of their milk. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-6949911 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2019 |
publisher | MDPI |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-69499112020-01-16 Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition Is Associated with Infant Temperament Hahn-Holbrook, Jennifer Fish, Adi Glynn, Laura M. Nutrients Article There is growing evidence that omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty-acids (PUFAs) are important for the brain development in childhood and are necessary for an optimal health in adults. However, there have been no studies examining how the n-3 PUFA composition of human milk influences infant behavior or temperament. To fill this knowledge gap, 52 breastfeeding mothers provided milk samples at 3 months postpartum and completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R), a widely used parent-report measure of infant temperament. Milk was assessed for n-3 PUFAs and omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs using gas-liquid chromatography. The total fat and the ratio of n-6/n-3 fatty acids in milk were also examined. Linear regression models revealed that infants whose mothers’ milk was richer in n-3 PUFAs had lower scores on the negative affectivity domain of the IBQ-R, a component of temperament associated with a risk for internalizing disorders later in life. These associations remained statistically significant after considering covariates, including maternal age, marital status, and infant birth weight. The n-6 PUFAs, n-6/n-3 ratio, and total fat of milk were not associated with infant temperament. These results suggest that mothers may have the ability to shape the behavior of their offspring by adjusting the n-3 PUFA composition of their milk. MDPI 2019-12-04 /pmc/articles/PMC6949911/ /pubmed/31817237 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu11122964 Text en © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
spellingShingle | Article Hahn-Holbrook, Jennifer Fish, Adi Glynn, Laura M. Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition Is Associated with Infant Temperament |
title | Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition Is Associated with Infant Temperament |
title_full | Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition Is Associated with Infant Temperament |
title_fullStr | Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition Is Associated with Infant Temperament |
title_full_unstemmed | Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition Is Associated with Infant Temperament |
title_short | Human Milk Omega-3 Fatty Acid Composition Is Associated with Infant Temperament |
title_sort | human milk omega-3 fatty acid composition is associated with infant temperament |
topic | Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6949911/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31817237 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu11122964 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT hahnholbrookjennifer humanmilkomega3fattyacidcompositionisassociatedwithinfanttemperament AT fishadi humanmilkomega3fattyacidcompositionisassociatedwithinfanttemperament AT glynnlauram humanmilkomega3fattyacidcompositionisassociatedwithinfanttemperament |