SUN-PO292: Breastfeeding Promotes a Healthier Fatty Acid Composition in the Offspring Compared to Artificial and Mixed Feeding: The Preobe Study (original) (raw)

Rationale: Breast milk reflects the maternal nutritional status and is a key source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), crucial in growth and development, especially arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This study aimed to analyze the effect of colostrum fatty acids (FAs) on infant outcomes to raise awareness about the programming effect of maternal nutrition and promote a healthy diet in women. Methods: Mother-child pairs (n = 78) of the PREOBE cohort were classified in normal-weight, overweight and obese mothers. PUFAs and long-chain PUFAs (LCPUFAs) were determined in colostrum collected 2-4 days and are presented in percentage of total FAs. Infant body mass index-forage z-scores (BMIZ) were measured at 6, 18 and 36 months of age. Cognition was assessed at 18 months of age with the Bayley-III Scale. Maternal pre-pregnancy weight and infant feeding practice were considered for analysis. Results: BMIZ at 6 months of age were inversely associated with colostrum levels of AA (β−0.44, p 0.02), DHA (β−0.37, p 0.04), PUFAn3 (β−0.38, p 0.04), LCPUFAn6 (β−0.38, p 0.04), LCPUFAn3 (β −0.43, p 0.02), whereas n6:n3 ratio was positively associated with it (β 0.42, p 0.03). Cognition of infants born to normal-weight mothers was enhanced with colostrum linoleic acid (β 0.84, p < 0.001) and PUFAn6 (β 0.81, p 0.002). Infant cognition of overweight mothers was endorsed with DHA (β 0.88, p 0.04) and LCPUFAn3 (β 1.01, p 0.004), while the n6:n3 ratio (β−0.97, p 0.02) showed an inverse association. Conclusions: The early supply of n6 and n3 impacts infant nutritional status and cognition, at 6 and 18 months of life, respectively. This study endorses the need for preventive health care. Since breast milk influences the early nutritional status of the child, which is related to health conditions through life span, a healthy diet in women should be encouraged to increase the quality of breast milk and promote healthier future generations.