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Fatty Acid Composition of the Maternal Diet During the First or the Second Half of Gestation Influences the Fatty Acid Composition of Sows’ Milk and Plasma, and Plasma of Their Piglets

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Lipids

Abstract

Dietary supplements of olive oil (OO) or fish oil (FO) during the first (G1: day 1–60) or second half of gestation (G2: day 60 to term, day 115) were offered to pregnant sows. The proportion of fatty acids in milk and plasma were determined by gas chromatography. When supplements were given during G1, the proportions of oleic acid (OA) and arachidonic acid (AA) in the plasma were higher in the OO group than in the FO group, whereas docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was higher in the latter group at day 56 of gestation. These differences in plasma DHA were still apparent at day 7 of lactation. Similarly, DHA was also higher in the colostrum and milk on days 3 and 21 of lactation and in the plasma of piglets from FO dams compared to the OO group, whereas AA was lower. When the FO supplement was given during G2, AA was lower and DHA higher in the plasma at day 105 of gestation and at day 7 of lactation compared with the OO group. Likewise, DHA was greater in FO than in OO animals during lactation in colostrum and in milk on days 3 and 21 of lactation, and in 3-day old suckling piglets plasma, whereas AA was lower in these animals. Thus, maternal adipose tissue plays an important role in the storage of dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) during G1. They are mobilized around parturition for milk synthesis, and an excess of dietary n-3 LCPUFA decreases the availability of AA in suckling newborns.

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Abbreviations

OO:

Olive oil

FO:

Fish oil

G1 and G2:

First and second half of gestation, respectively, used for the experimental diets

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

AA:

Arachidonic acid

EFA:

Essential fatty acids

LCPUFA:

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

LA:

Linoleic acid

ALA:

α-linolenic acid

LPL:

Lipoprotein lipase

VLDL:

Very low density lipoproteins

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Acknowledgments

We thank Milagros Morante, Kate Perkins, Anne Corson and Jennie Litten, for their excellent technical assistance and the staff at Imperial College London’s pig unit for the maintenance and supply of animals used in this study. Supported by grants from the European Community (specific RTD programme “Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources”, QLK1-2001—00138, PeriLip) and Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (SAF2008-04518) of Spain.

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  1. Faculties of Pharmacy and Medicine, Universidad CEU San Pablo, Ctra. Boadilla del Monte km 5.3, 28668, Boadilla del Monte (Madrid), Spain

    Encarnación Amusquivar & Emilio Herrera

  2. Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, Wye, Ashford, Kent, TN25 5AH, UK

    John Laws & Lynne Clarke

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  1. Encarnación Amusquivar
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  2. John Laws
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  4. Emilio Herrera
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Correspondence to Emilio Herrera.

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Amusquivar, E., Laws, J., Clarke, L. et al. Fatty Acid Composition of the Maternal Diet During the First or the Second Half of Gestation Influences the Fatty Acid Composition of Sows’ Milk and Plasma, and Plasma of Their Piglets. Lipids 45, 409–418 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-010-3415-2

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