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Breast-fed and formula-fed infants do not differ in immunocompetent cell cytokine production despite differences in

E Granot1, D Golan, E M Berry

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah University Hospital, and the Department of Human Nutrition and Metabolism, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem. etgranot@md.huji.ac.il

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|November 4, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Infant feeding methods, breast milk vs. formula, impact red blood cell membrane fatty acids. However, cytokine production by immune cells remains similar between breast-fed and formula-fed infants.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Nutritional Science
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Infant nutrition, specifically breast milk versus formula, influences polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake.
  • Dietary fatty acids affect cell membrane composition, which in adults is linked to immune responses via cytokine production.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in the production of proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), by immunocompetent cells in breast-fed versus formula-fed infants.

Main Methods:

  • A study of 26 healthy infants (2-4 months old), divided into breast-fed and formula-fed groups.
  • Analysis of red blood cell (RBC) membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition using gas-liquid chromatography.
  • Measurement of IL-1 and TNF release from whole blood cultures stimulated with bacterial endotoxin.

Main Results:

  • Breast-fed infants had significantly higher levels of n-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3), in their RBC membranes compared to formula-fed infants.
  • Formula-fed infants showed a higher percentage of oleic acid (18:1) in their RBC membranes.
  • No significant differences were observed in the release of IL-1 and TNF between the two groups of infants.

Conclusions:

  • Despite distinct differences in red blood cell membrane fatty acid profiles, the production of key proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1 and TNF) by immunocompetent cells is comparable in breast-fed and formula-fed infants.
Abstract

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