Nutritional status and intermediate chain-length fatty acids influence the conservation of essential fatty acids in the milk of northern Nigerian women

Abstract

The milk of 89 women in northern Nigeria was analyzed for the fatty acid composition of the total milk lipids, and assessed for the effect nutritional status has on the conservation of essential and non-essential fatty acids when the proportions of C10–C14fatty acids are increased. The women were stratified on the basis of their body mass index, and calculations were made to estimate the effects of a 3.3-fold increase in the proportion of C10–C14fatty acids on the proportion of α-linolenic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, linoleic acid and arachidonic in total milk lipids. In the well-nourished group (group III, body mass index >23 kg/m2), the critical n-3 and n-6 fatty acids were not conserved, while in poorly nourished women (group I, body mass index <19 kg/m2), marked conservation of α-linolenic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, and palmitic acid was seen. Poor nutritional status of the mother appears to promote selective retention of critical essential and non-essential fatty acids in the milk lipid fraction.