[tri-med] FYI - Are human milk long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

I am forwarding this article or URL for your information (FYI) as I believe
it may be of interest and is from a reliable source. As always, check the
information with your own doctor or health care professional before starting
or changing any treatments.

The Journal of Pediatrics
October 2001 . Volume 139 . Number 4

Original Articles
Are human milk long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids related to visual and 
neural development in breast-fed term infants?

Objective: To determine whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is related to visual 
and neural development in term breast-fed infants.
Design: A prospective study of 83 infants who were exclusively breast-fed for 
at least 3 months. We determined red blood cell and
plasma fatty acids at 2 months, visual acuity at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months, speech 
perception and an object search task at 9 months,
Bayley's mental development index and psychomotor development index at 6 and 12 
months, and novelty pReference at 6 and 9 months.
Results: The infant red blood cell phosphatidylethanolamine DHA was 
significantly related to visual acuity at 2 months of age (r =
0.32, P = .01) and 12 months of age (r = 0.30, P = .03). The ability to 
discriminate nonnative retroflex and phonetic contrasts at 9
months of age was related to the plasma phospholipid DHA (r = 0.48, P < .02) 
and red blood cell phosphatidylethanolamine DHA (r =
0.26, P = .02) at 2 months of age after adjusting for covariates.
Conclusion: DHA may influence the development of visual acuity and neural 
pathways associated with the developmental progression of
language acquisition in term breast-fed infants. The extent to which our 
results can be attributed solely to DHA from maternal
sources through breast milk or in gestation or other confounding factors 
remains to be determined. (J Pediatr 2001;139:532-8)

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