Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of n-3 fatty acid deficiency in nonhuman primates

  • Chapter
Recent Developments in Infant Nutrition

Part of the book series: Tenth Nutricia Symposium ((NUSY,volume 9))

Abstract

Whether infant formulas should be supplemented with n-3 fatty acids and, if so, the optimal forms and amounts of fatty acids for both preterm and term infants have been the subjects of considerable attention and debate over the past few years. Studies in rhesus monkeys helped to establish the need for higher levels of α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3 n-3) in infant feeding. There is now strong and consistent evidence that a low intake of ALA is associated with delayed visual development, and the need for at least 0.7% of energy as ALA in infant formulas is now widely accepted. However, this consensus has not been universally translated into practice. As of 1994, formulas low in ALA, and specifically those containing corn oil as a source of polyunsaturates, were still widely available in many developing countries (Fig. 1; N. Zhu, W.E. Connor and S. Connor, unpublished data).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Abbreviations

AA:

arachidonic acid, 20:4 n-4

ALA:

α-linolenic acid, 18:3 n-3

DHA:

docosahexaenoic acid, 22:6 n-3

EPA:

eicosapentaenoic acid, 20:5 n-3

LA:

linoleic acid, 18:2 n-6

LCPUFA:

long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

PE:

phosphaethanolamine

References

  1. Neuringer M, Connor WE, Van Petten C, Barstad L 1984 Dietary omega-3 fatty acid deficiency and visual loss in infant rhesus monkeys. J Clin Invest 73:272–276

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Neuringer M, Connor WE, Lin DS, Barstad L, Luck S 1986 Biochemical and functional effects of prenatal and postnatal ω3 fatty acid deficiency on retina and brain in rhesus monkeys. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 83:4021–4025

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Neuringer M, Anderson GJ, Connor WE 1988 The essentiality of n-3 fatty acids for the development and function of the retina and brain. Annu Rev Nutr 8:517–541

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Reisbick S, Neuringer M, Hasnain R, Connor WE 1990 Polydipsia in rhesus monkeys deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Physiol Behav 47:315–323

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Neuringer M, Connor WE, Lin DS, Anderson GJ, Barstad L 1991 Dietary omega-3 fatty acids: Effects on retinal lipid composition and function in primates. In: Anderson RE, Hollyfield JG, LaVail MM (eds) Retinal Degenerations. CRC Press, New York, pp 117–129

    Google Scholar 

  6. Reisbick S, Neuringer M, Connor WE, Iliff-Sizemore S 1991 Increased intake of water and NaCl solutions in omega-3 fatty acid deficient monkeys. Physiol Behav 49:1139–1146

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Reisbick S, Neuringer M, Connor WE, Barstad L 1992 Postnatal deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids in monkeys: Fluid intake and urine concentration. Physiol Behav 51:473–479

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Neuringer M, Reisbick S, Janowski J 1994 The role of n-3 fatty acids in visual and cognitive development: Current evidence and methods of assessment. J Pediatr 125:S39-S47

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Reisbick S, Neuringer M, Gohl E 1994 Increased look duration in paired comparisons by rhesus monkey infants with n-3 fatty acid deficiency. Soc Neurosci Abstr 20:1696

    Google Scholar 

  10. Reisbick S, Neuringer M, Hasnain R, Connor WE 1994 Home cage behavior of rhesus monkeys with long-term deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids. Physiol Behav 55:231–239

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Reisbick S, Neuringer M, Gohl E, Wald R, Anderson GJ 1996 Visual attention in infant monkeys: Effects of dietary fatty acids and age. Dev Psychol (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  12. DeLion SS, Chalon S, Herault J, Guilloteau D, Besnard J-C, Durand G 1994 Chronic dietary α-linolenic acid deficiency alters dopamine and serotoninergic neurotransmission in rats. J Nutr 124:2466–2476

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Doherty MD, Gratton A 1994 Medial prefrontal cortical D1 receptors modulate stress-induced dopamine release in nucleus accumbens. Soc Neurosci Abstr 20:821

    Google Scholar 

  14. Tonkiss J, Shukitt-Hale B, Formica RN, Rocco FJ, Galler JR 1990 Prenatal protein malnutrition alters response to reward in adult rats. Physiol Behav 48:675–680

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Colombo J, Mitchell DW, Coldren JT, Freeman LJ 1991 Individual differences in infant visual attention: Are short lookers faster processors or feature processors? Child Dev 62:1247–1257

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Jacobson SW, Jacobson JL, O’Neill JM, Padgett RJ, Frankowski JJ, Bihun JT 1992 Visual expectation and dimensions of infant information processing. Child Dev 63:711–724

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Jacobson SW, Jacobson JL, Sokol RJ, Martier SS, Ager JW 1993 Prenatal alcohol exposure and infant information processing ability. Child Dev 64:1706–1721

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. McCall RB, Carriger MS 1993 A meta-analysis of infant habituation and recognition memory performance as predictors of later IQ. Child Dev 64:57–79

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Thompson LE, Fagan JF, Fulker DW 1991 Longitudinal predictions of specific cognitive abilities from infant novelty preference. Child Dev 62:530–538

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Rose SA, Feldman JF, McCarton CM, Wolfson J 1988 Information processing in seven-month-old infants as a function of risk status. Child Dev 59:589–603

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Johnson MH, Posner MI, Rothbart MK 1991 Components of visual orienting in early infancy: Contingency learning, anticipatory looking, and disengaging. J Cogn Neurosci 3:335–344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Carlson SE, Werkman SH 1995 Preterm infants fed formula with compared to without docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have shorter look duration ten months after DHA is discontinued. Pediatr Res 37:14A

    Google Scholar 

  23. Carlson SE, Werkman SH 1996 A randomized trial of visual attention of preterm infants fed docosahexaenoic acid until two months. Lipids 31:85–90

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Werkman SH, Carlson SE 1996 A randomized trial of visual attention of preterm infants fed docosahexaenoic acid until nine months. Lipids 31:91–97

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Clandinin MT, Chappel JE, Heim T 1981 Do low weight infants require nutrition with chain elongation-desaturation products of essential fatty acids? Prog Lipid Res 20:901–904

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Farquharson J, Cockburn F, Patrick WA, Jamieson EC, Logan RW 1992 Infant cerebral cortex phospholipid fatty-acid composition and diet. Lancet 340:810–813

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Makrides M, Neumann MA, Byard RW, Simmer K, Gibson RA 1994 Fatty acid composition of brain, retina, and erythrocytes in breast and formula fed infants. Am J Clin Nutr 60:189–194

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Birch DG, Birch EE, Hoffman DR, Uauy RD 1992 Retinal development in very-low-birth-weight infants fed diets differing in omega-3 fatty acids. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 33: 2365–2376

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Birch EE, Birch DG, Hoffman DR, Uauy RD 1992 Dietary essential fatty acid supply and visual acuity development. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 33:3242–3253

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Carlson SE 1993 Lipid requirements of very-low-birth-weight infants for optimal growth and development. In: Dobbing J (ed) Lipids, Learning and the Brain: Fats in Infant Formulas. Ross Laboratories, Columbus, pp 188–207

    Google Scholar 

  31. Carlson SE, Werkman SH, Rhodes PG, Tolley EA 1993 Visual-acuity development in healthy preterm infants: effect of marine-oil supplementation. Am J Clin Nutr 58:35–42

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Carlson SE, Werkman SH, Tolley EA 1996 The effect of long chain n-3 fatty acid supplementation on visual acuity of preterm infants with and without bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Am J Clin Nutr 63:687–697

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Birch EE, Birch DG, Hoffman DR, Hale L, Everett M, Uauy R 1993 Breast-feeding and optimal visual development. J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus 30:33–38

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Makrides M, Simmer K, Goggin M, Gibson RA 1993 Erythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid correlates with the visual response of healthy, term infants. Pediatr Res 33:425–427

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Makrides M, Neumann M, Simmer K, Pater J, Gibson R 1995 Are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids essential nutrients in infancy? Lancet 345:1463–1468

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Jorgensen MH, Jonsbo F, Holmer G, Hernell O, Michaelsen KF 1994 Breast-fed (BF) infants have a better visual acuity than formula fed (FF) infants at the age of 2 and 4 mo. FASEB J 8:460

    Google Scholar 

  37. Innis SM, Nelson CM, Rioux MF, King DJ 1994 Development of visual acuity in relation to plasma and erythrocyte ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids in healthy term gestation infants. Am J Clin Nutr 60:347–352

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Hartmann EE, Neuringer M 1995 Longitudinal behavioral measures of visual acuity in full-term human infants fed different dietary fatty acids. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 36.S869

    Google Scholar 

  39. Carlson SE, Werkman SH, Peeples JM, Cooke RJ, Tolley EA 1993 Arachidonic acid status correlates with first year growth in preterm infants. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:1073–1077

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Carlson SE, Werkman SH, Peeples JM, Wilson WM III 1994 Growth and development of premature infants in relation to ω3 and ω6 fatty acid status. World Rev Nutr Diet 75:63–69

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Janowski JS, Scott DT, Wheeler RE, Auestad N 1995 Fatty acids affect early language development. Pediatr Res 37:310A

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. S. Reisbick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Neuringer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. W. E. Connor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nutricia Research, PO Box 1, 2700 MA, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands

    J. G. Bindels  & A. C. Goedhart  & 

  2. Ghisebrecht Bokellaan 29, 3054 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    H. K. A. Visser

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Reisbick, S., Neuringer, M., Connor, W.E. (1996). Effects of n-3 fatty acid deficiency in nonhuman primates. In: Bindels, J.G., Goedhart, A.C., Visser, H.K.A. (eds) Recent Developments in Infant Nutrition. Tenth Nutricia Symposium, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1790-3_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1790-3_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7298-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1790-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation