Abstract
It is debatable whether supplementation of infant formula with LCPUFA has an effect on infant growth and development. Up till now, there is little evidence of a negative effect on infant growth. A review of randomized controlled trials in term infants revealed that LCPUFA, in particularly supplementation with ≥ 0.30% DHA, seems to have a beneficial effect on neurodevelopmental outcome up to 4 months of age. The studies could not demonstrate a consistent positive effect beyond that age. However, in the majority of studies neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed between 6 to 24 months, i.e. at an age where there is a ‘latency’ in the expression of minor neurological dysfunction. Thus it is possible that LCPUFA might have a long lasting beneficial effect on neurodevelopmental outcome at school-age and beyond. This hypothesis urgently needs testing.
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Hadders-Algra, M. (2005). The Role of Long-Chain Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids (LCPUFA) in Growth and Development. In: Koletzko, B., Dodds, P., Akerblom, H., Ashwell, M. (eds) Early Nutrition and its Later Consequences: New Opportunities. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 569. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3535-7_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3535-7_13
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