Dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids by pregnant or lactating women in the United States

Abstract

Dietary intakes of specific polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid, and the ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 consumption during pregnancy and lactation affect maternal and infant PUFA status and may play a role in infant neurodevelopment. The 1994–1996 U.S. Department of Agriculture/ARS Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, a nationally representative analysis of consumption, provides data on the five major PUFAs in the food supply, including intakes from a subset of 112 pregnant or lactating women. Mean individual daily intakes of omega-6 fats are more than 200% of recommended upper limits proposed by a recent National Institutes of Health workshop, and intakes of omega-3 fats are only 20–60% of recommended adequate intakes.Intakes of omega-3, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid are highest in women older than 40 years of age, those of Asian/Pacific descent, households with income greater than 350% of the poverty level, and women with at least 1 year of college education. Finally, PUFA intakes are compared with intakes in other countries, with U.S. consumption of omega-6 higher and omega-3 lower than those in Japan and several other European nations. PUFAMean daily intake (g)NIH Workshop recommendation (g/d)Linoleic acid14.1486.67Arachidonic acid0.118Linolenic acid1.4072.22Eicosapentaenoic acid0.0220.22Docosahexaenoic acid0.0540.30