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Are human milk long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids related to visual and neural development in breast-fed term
S M Innis1, J Gilley, J Werker
1Department of Paediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Insights
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in breastfed infants is linked to better visual acuity and neural development, including language skills. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore maternal DHA sources.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a crucial omega-3 fatty acid for infant brain and visual development.
- Breast milk is a primary source of DHA for exclusively breast-fed infants.
- Understanding DHA's role is vital for optimizing infant nutrition and developmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels and visual and neural development in term, exclusively breast-fed infants.
- To determine if DHA influences visual acuity, speech perception, and cognitive development.
- To explore the relationship between DHA and early language acquisition milestones.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 83 exclusively breast-fed infants followed for at least 3 months.
- Measurement of red blood cell and plasma fatty acids at 2 months of age.
- Assessment of visual acuity, speech perception, object search, Bayley's scales, and novelty preference at various infant developmental stages.
Main Results:
- Infant red blood cell DHA levels positively correlated with visual acuity at 2 and 12 months.
- Plasma phospholipid and red blood cell DHA at 2 months were associated with improved ability to discriminate phonetic contrasts at 9 months.
- These associations remained significant after adjusting for relevant covariates.
Conclusions:
- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) appears to play a role in the development of visual acuity and neural pathways supporting language acquisition in term breast-fed infants.
- The findings suggest DHA is important for optimal visual and cognitive-linguistic development.
- Further studies are required to elucidate the precise contribution of maternal DHA sources and control for confounding factors.
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.