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Plasma Levels of trans-Fatty Acids are Low in Exclusively Breastfed Infants of Adolescent Mothers

  • Original Article
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Lipids

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of trans-octadecenoic acid (C18:1-trans) and trans-isomers of linoleic acid (18:2-trans), as well as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), in the plasma from infants of adolescent mothers at 3 months of age, exclusively breastfed, and the relationship with the levels of the same isomers in plasma and milk of the mothers. Samples of blood and mature milk were obtained from 49 healthy adolescent mothers and their exclusively breastfed infants treated at the Instituto Fernandes Figueira-Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IFF-FIOCRUZ) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. trans-Fatty acids (TFA) were analyzed by gas chromatography. The results of this study showed low levels of TFA in milk (1.53%), maternal plasma (0.50%), and plasma of infants (0.74%). The results show that, although TFA have been found in the plasma of the studied infants, the LC-PUFA levels are kept within normal limits. No association between TFA presence and parameters of nutritional status of the infants was observed, probably due to the low levels of these fatty acids found in this study.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

Alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n3)

ARA:

Arachidonic acid (20:4n-6)

BMI/A:

Body mass index for age

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3)

EFA:

Essential fatty acid(s)

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3)

FA:

Fatty acid(s)

FIOCRUZ:

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz

IFF:

Instituto Fernandes Figueira

LC-PUFA:

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid(s)

LNA:

Linoleic acid (18:2n-6)

LNBINJC/UFRJ:

Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, Institute of Nutrition Josué de Castro/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acid(s)

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid(s)

SFA:

Saturated fatty acid(s)

TFA:

trans-Fatty acid(s)

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the adolescent mothers who participated in this study. The present work was in part supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)–Brazil and Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Brasil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Nutrição Josué de Castro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Roseli de Souza Santos da Costa, Flavia da Silva Santos, Felipe Domingues da Conceição, Claudia Saunders, Fatima Lúcia de Carvalho Sardinha & Maria da Graças Tavares do Carmo

  2. Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Roseli de Souza Santos da Costa, Flavia da Silva Santos, Felipe Domingues da Conceição, Claudia Saunders, Fatima Lúcia de Carvalho Sardinha & Maria da Graças Tavares do Carmo

  3. Instituto Fernandes Figueira da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Roseli de Souza Santos da Costa & Célia Regina Moutinho de Miranda Chaves

Authors
  1. Roseli de Souza Santos da Costa
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  2. Flavia da Silva Santos
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  3. Felipe Domingues da Conceição
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  4. Claudia Saunders
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  5. Fatima Lúcia de Carvalho Sardinha
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  6. Célia Regina Moutinho de Miranda Chaves
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  7. Maria da Graças Tavares do Carmo
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Correspondence to Roseli de Souza Santos da Costa.

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de Souza Santos da Costa, R., da Silva Santos, F., da Conceição, F.D. et al. Plasma Levels of trans-Fatty Acids are Low in Exclusively Breastfed Infants of Adolescent Mothers. Lipids 46, 537–543 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-011-3547-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-011-3547-z

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