Abstract
The composition of human breast milk changes in the first two months of life, adapting itself to the evolving needs of the growing new-born. Lipids in milk are a source of energy, essential fatty acids (FA), fat-soluble vitamins, and vital bioactive components. Information on breast milk FA of Malaysian lactating women is scarce. Based on convenience sampling, a total of 20 Malay breastfeeding women who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited. Breast milk was collected three times from each subject at consecutive intervals of 2–3 weeks apart. A total of 60 breast milk samples were collected and classified into “transitional milk” (n = 8), “early milk” (n = 26) and “mature milk” (n = 26). All milk samples were air freighted to University of Groningen, Netherlands for analysis. The dominant breast milk FA were oleic acid, constituting 33% of total fatty acids, followed by palmitic acid (26%). Both these FA and the essential FA, linoleic acid (10%) and alpha-linolenic acid (0.4%), showed no significant changes from transitional to mature milk. Breast milk ratio of n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was comparatively high, exceeding 10 throughout the lactation period, suggesting a healthier balance of PUFA intake is needed in pregnancy and at postpartum.
Highlights
Fats are important constituents of human breast milk providing energy and nutrients to support the growth and development of the breast-fed infant
While positive associations between maternal body mass index (BMI) and breast milk fat contents have been reported [25,26], the latter has pointed out contradictory findings
This study has provided some useful insights into the temporal changes of breast milk fatty acids of Malay breastfeeding women
Summary
Fats are important constituents of human breast milk providing energy and nutrients to support the growth and development of the breast-fed infant. Human breast milk fat content ranges from 3.5% to 4.5% during lactation with triglycerides as the main lipid fraction, accounting for about 95% of total lipids. The first fluid that is expressed by the mother after delivery is colostrum, which has high immunologic components and low concentrations of lactose, indicating its primary functions to be immunologic rather than nutritional [2]. In this respect, Gila-Diaz et al (2019) [3] have provided an insightful elaboration on the presence of several bioactive compounds in breast milk, which contribute to the maturation of the immune system of the breastfed infant, among other important aspects. At the beginning of lactation, milk fat contains more capric acid (C10:0)
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