Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Physiological Role of Fatty Acids in Infancy

Effect of Dietary Fat on Brain Fatty Acids and Learning Ability in Infancy

  • Chapter
Handbook of Essential Fatty Acid Biology

Abstract

Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infant growth and development. However, there are cases where breast feeding can not be performed because of insufficient breast milk or social environment. In this case, infant formula is the only source of nutrition. Therefore, the quality of infant formula must be equivalent for growth and development to that of breast-fed infants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Agostoni, C., Riva, E., Bellu, R., Trojan, S., Luotti, D., and Giovannini, M. (1994) Effects of diet on the lipid and fatty acid status of full-term infants at 4 months. J. Am. College Nutr. 13, 658–664.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Agostoni, C., Trojan, S., Bellu, R., Riva, E., and Giovannini, M. (1995) Neurodevelopmental quotient of healthy term infants at 4 months and feeding practice: the role of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Pediat. Res. 38, 262–266.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anding, R. H. and Hwang, D. H. (1986) Effects of dietary linolenate on the fatty acid composition of brain lipids in rats. Lipids 21, 697–701.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bazan, N. G. (1990) Supply of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and their significance in the central nervous system, in Nutrition and the Brain ( Wurtman R. J. and Wurtman, J. J., eds.), Raven, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernsohn, J. and Spitz, F. J. (1974) Linoleic-linolenic acid dependency of some brain membrane-bound enzymes after lipid deprivation in rats. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 57, 293–298.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bitman, J., Wood, L., Hamosh, P., and Mehta, N. R. (1983) Comparison of the lipid composition of breast milk from mothers of term and preterm infants. Am. J. Clin. Nut. 38, 300–312.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Burr, G. O. and Burr, M. M. (1929) A new deficiency disease produced by the rigid exclusion of fat from the diet. J. Biol. Chem. 82, 345–367.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, S. E., Carver, J. D., and House, S. G. (1986) High fat diets varying in ratios of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid, linoleic to linolenic acid. J. Nutr. 116, 718–725.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, S. E., Cooke, R. J., Rhodes, R. G., Peeples, J. M., Werkman, S. H., and Tolley, E. A. (1991) Long-term feeding of formulas high in linolenic acid and marine oil to very low weight infants: phospholipid fatty acids. Pediatr. Res. 30, 404–412.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, S. E., Rhodes, P. G., Rao, U. S., and Goldgar, D. E. (1987) Effect of fish oil supplementation on the n-3 fatty acid content of red blood cell membranes in preterm infants. Pediatr. Res. 21, 507–510.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Charnick, J. S., McLennan, R. L., Abeywardena, M. Y., and Russell, G. R. (1985) Altered levels of n-6/n-3 fatty acids in rat heart and storage fat following variable dietary intake of linoleic acid. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 29, 279–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, Y. S., Goto, S., Ikeda, I., and Sugano, M. (1989) Effect of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cholesterol synthesis and degradation in rats of different ages. Lipids 24, 40–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connor, W. E., Neuringer, M., and Cin, D. S. (1990) Dietary effects on brain fatty acid composition: the reversibility of n-3 fatty acid deficiency and turnover of docosahexaenoic acid in the brain, erythrocytes, and of plasma rhesus monkeys. J. Lipid Res. 31, 237–247.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coscina, D. V., Yehuda, S., Dixon, L. M., Kish, S., and Leprohon-Greenwood, C. E. (1986) Learning is improved by a soybean oil diet in rat. Life Sci. 38, 1789–1794.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, M. A., Doyle, W., Williams, G., and Drury, R. J. (1989) The role of fats and EFAs for energy and cell structures in the growth of fetus and neonate, in The Role of Fats in Human Nutrition 2nd ed. ( Vergroesen, A. J. and Crawford, M., eds.), Academic, London, pp. 81–115.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, M. A., Hassam, A. G., and Rivers, J. P. W. (1978) Essential fatty acid requirements in infancy. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 31, 2181–2185.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dobbing, J. and Sands, J. (1979) Comparative aspects of the brain growth spurt. Early Hum. Dey. 3, 79–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Enslen, M., Milon, H., and Malnoe, A. (1991) Effects of low intake of n-3 fatty acids during development on brain phospholipid fatty acid and exploratory behavior in rats. Lipids 26, 203–208.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fiennes, R. N., Sinclair, A. J., and Crawford, M. A. (1973) Essential fatty acid studies in primates: linoleic acid requirements of capuchins. J. Med. Primate 2, 155–169.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fritsche, K. L. and Johnston, P. V. (1988) Rapid autoxidation of fish oil in diets without added antioxidants. J. Nutr. 118, 425, 426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folch, J., Lee, M., Meath, J. A., and LeBarron, F. N. (1951) Preparation of lipids extracts from brain tissue. J. Biol. Chem. 191, 833–841.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fujimoto, K., Kanno, T., Koga, H., Onodera, M., Hirono, H., Nishikawa, M., and Maruyama, K. (1993) Effects of n-3 fatty acid deficiency during pregnancy and lactation on learning ability of rats, in Advances in Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Research ( Yasugi, T., Nakamura, H., and Soma, M., eds.), Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam, pp. 257–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galli, C., White, H. B., and Paoletti, R. (1971) Lipid alterations and their reversion in the central nervous system of growing rats deficient in essential fatty acids. Lipids 6, 378–387.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, R. A. and Kneebone, G. M. (1981) Fatty acid composition of human colostrum and mature breast milk. Am. J. Clin. Nut. 34, 252–257.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goodnight, S. H., Harris, W. S., Conner, W. E., and Illingworth, D. R. (1982) Polyunsaturated fatty acids, hyperlipemia, and thrombosis. Arteriosclerosis 2, 87–113.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goodnight, S. H., Illingworth, D. R., and Connor, W. E. (1990) Fish oil in hypertriglyceridemia: a dose-response study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 51, 399–406.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, D. R. and Uauy, R. (1992) Essentiality of dietary n-3 fatty acids or premature infants: plasma and red blood cell fatty acid composition. Lipids 27, 886–895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holman, R. T., Johnson, S. B., and Hatch, T. F. (1982) A case of human linoleic acid deficiency involving neurological abnormalities. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 35, 617–623.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Houwelinger, A. C. V., Kester, A. D. M., and Hornstra, G. (1989) Effect of moderate fish intake on platelet aggregation and ATP release in human blood. Nutr. Res. 9, 1187–1196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Innis, S. M. (1991) Essential fatty acids in growth and development. Prog. Lipid Res. 30, 39–103.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lamptey, M. S. and Walker, B. L. (1976) A possible essential role for dietary linolenic acid in the development of the young rat. J. Nutr. 106, 86–93.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lamptey, M. S. and Walker, B. L. (1978) Learning behavior and brain lipid composition in rat subjected to essential fatty acid deficiency during gestation, lactation and growth. J. Nutr. 108, 358–367.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. H., Sugano, M., and Ide, T. (1988) Effects of various combination of w 3 and w 6 polyunsaturated fats with saturated fat on serum lipids and eicosanoid production in rats. J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol. 34, 117–129.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lemarchal, P. (1978) Role biologique de lacide linolenique. Rev. Fr. Corps Fras 25, 303–308.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leray, C. and Pelletier, X. (1987) Thin-layer chromatography of human platelet phospholipids with fatty analysis. J. Chromatog. 420, 411–416.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Markrides, M., Neumann, M. A., Simmer, K., and Gibson, R. A. (1995) Erythrocyte fatty acids of term infants fed either breast milk, standard formula, or formula supplemented with long-chain polyunsaturates. Lipids 30, 941–948.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, D. E., Ward, R. P., and Toung, C. (1988) Effects of prenatal and early postnatal fatty acid supplementation on behavior. Nutr. Res. 8, 273–286.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mohrhauer, H. and Holman, R. T. (1963) Alteration of the fatty acid composition of brain lipids by varying levels of dietary essential fatty acids. J. Neurochem. 10, 523–530.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nassar, B. A., Huang, Y. S., Manku, M. S., Das, U. N., Morse, N., and Horrobin, D. F. (1986) The influence of dietary manipulation with w-3 and w-6 fatty acids on liver and plasma phospholipid fatty acids in rates. Lipids 21, 652–656.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nestle, P. J. (1986) Fish oil attenuates the cholesterol induced rise in lipoprotein cholesterol. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 43, 752–757.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuringer, M., Conner, W. E., Petten, C. V., and Barstad, L. (1984) Dietary omega-3 fatty acid deficiency and visual loss in infant rhesus monkeys. J. Clin. Invest. 73, 272–276.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ohmoto, S. (1990) Effects of n-3 fatty acid supplemented formula on the n-3 and n-6 fatty acid content of red blood cell membrane in low-birth-weight infants. J. Jpn. Pediatr. Soc. 94, 224–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascaud, M. and Strouve-Vallet, C. (1985) Desaturation of 14C linoleic acid by the rat fetus. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 23, 63–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rahm, J. J. and Holman, R. T. (1964) Effects of linoleic acid upon the metabolism of linolenic acid. J. Nutr. 84, 15–19.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiter, A., Jongbloed, A. W., van Gent, C. M., Danse, L. H. J. C., and Metz, S. H. M. (1978) The influence of dietary mackerel oil on the condition of organs and on blood lipid composition in the young growing pig. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 31, 2159–2166.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, T. A. B., Mistry, M., and Naismith, D. J. (1984) The influence of a maternal diet rich in linoleic acid on brain and retinal docosahexaenoic acid in the rat. Br. J. Nutr. 51, 57–66.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, T. A. B. and Naismith, D. J. (1980) The metabolism of a-linolenic acid by the foetal rat. Br. J. Nutr. 44, 205–208.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, T. A. B. and Rana, S. K. (1987) Composition of the metabolism of linoleic and linolenic acids in the fetal rat. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 31, 349–353.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, T. A. B. and Younger, K. M. (1981) The effects of dietary supplements of w-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the fatty acid composition of plates and plasma choline phosphoglycerides. Br. J. Nutr. 45, 613–616.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simopoulos, A. P. (1989) Summary of the NATO advanced research workshop on dietary w 3 and to 6 fatty acids: biological effects and nutritional essentiality. J. Nutr. 119, 521–528.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sinclair, A. J. and Crawford, M. A. (1973) The effect of a low-fat maternal diet on neonatal rats. Br. J. Nutr. 29, 127–137.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, B. L. and Bazan, N. G. (1989) Membrane docosahexaenoate is supplied to the developing brain and retina by the liver. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86, 2903–2907.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tinoco, J., Babcock, R., Hincenbergs, I., Medwadowski, B., and Miljanich, P. (1978) Linolenic acid deficiency: changes in fatty acid patterns in female and male rats raised on a linolenic acid-deficient diet for two generations. Lipids 13, 6–17.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tinoco, J., Babcock, R., Hincenbergs, I., Medwadowski, B., Miljanich, P., and Williams, M. A. (1979) Linolenic acid deficiency. Lipids 14, 166–173.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tou, J. S. (1980) Acylation of docosahexaenoic acid into phospholipids by intact human neutrophils. Lipids 21, 324–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voss, A., Reinhart, M., Sankarappa, S., and Sprecher, H. (1991) The metabolism of 7, 10, 13, 16, 19-docosapentaenoic acid to 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19-docosahexaenoic acid in rat liver is independent of 0 4-desaturase. J. Biol. Chem. 266, 19995–20000.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wainwright, P. E., Huang, Y. S., Bulman-Fleming, B., Mills, D. E., Redden, P., and Cutcheon, D. (1991) The role of n-3 essential fatty acids in brain and behavioral development: a cross fostering study in the mouse. Lipids 26, 37–45.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, B. L. (1967) Maternal diet and brain fatty acids in young rats. Lipids 2, 467–500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wickwire, M. A., Craig-Schmidt, M. C., Weete, J. D., and Faircloth, S. A. (1987) Effect of maternal dietary linoleic acid and trans-octadecenoic acid on the fatty acid composition and prostaglandin content of raw milk. J. Nutr. 117, 232–241.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto, N., Saitoh, M., Moriuchi, A., Nomura, M., and Okuyama, H. (1987) Effect of dietary a-linolenate/linoleate balance on brain lipid compositions and learning ability of rats. J. Lipid Res. 28, 144–151.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yeh, Y. Y., Winters, B. L., and Yeh, S. M. (1990) Enrichment of n-3 fatty acids of suckling by maternal dietary menhaden oil. J. Nutr. 120, 436 443.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yonekubo, A., Kanno, T., Takahashi, K., Koyanagi, N., Nozaki, Y., and Yamamoto, Y. (1994b) Effects of dietary fish oil on polyunsaturated fatty acid desaturation in fetal and postnatal rats. Biosci. Bioetechnol. Biochem. 58, 802–806.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yonekubo, A., Honda, S., Hagiwara, M., Okano, M., and Yamamoto, Y. (1990) The effects of dietary fish oil on the serum lipids and fatty acid composition of rats. Agricul. Biol. Chem. 54, 1829–1833.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yonekubo, A., Honda, S., Okano, M., Takahashi, K., and Yamamoto, Y. (1993a) Dietary fish oil alters rat milk composition and liver and brain fatty acid composition of fetal and neonatal rats. J. Nutr. 123, 1703–1708.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yonekubo, A., Honda, S., Okano, M., Takahashi, K., and Yamamoto, Y. (1994a) Effects of dietary fish oil during the fetal and postnatal periods on the learning ability of postnatal rats. Biosci. Bioetechnol. Biochem. 58, 799–801.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yonekubo, A., Honda, S., Okano, M., and Yamamoto, Y. (1993b) Effects of dietary safflower oil or soybean oil on the milk composition of the maternal rat, and tissue fatty acid composition and learning ability of postnatal rats. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 57, 253–259.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Akie Yonekubo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel

    Shlomo Yehuda

  2. Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    David I. Mostofsky

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Yonekubo, A. (1997). Physiological Role of Fatty Acids in Infancy. In: Yehuda, S., Mostofsky, D.I. (eds) Handbook of Essential Fatty Acid Biology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2582-7_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2582-7_16

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-017-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2582-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation