Breast milk EPA associated with infant distractibility when EPA level is low
Keyu Jia1, Yao Feng2, J Thomas Brenna3
1Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Insights
Higher eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in breast milk may improve infant attention. This specific omega-3 fatty acid showed a beneficial effect on infant distractibility when EPA levels were low.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) are crucial for infant development.
- The specific impact of individual ω-3 PUFAs on infant executive function (EF) is not well understood.
- Breast milk is a primary source of ω-3 PUFAs for infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between ω-3 PUFAs in breast milk and infant executive function at 8 months of age.
- To determine if total ω-3 PUFAs or specific ω-3 PUFAs are linked to infant EF.
- To assess the role of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in modulating infant attention and inhibition.
Main Methods:
- Collected breast milk samples from 120 mothers at 42 days and 8 months postpartum in Beijing, China.
- Assessed infant executive function at 8 months using planning and A-not-B tasks, measuring working memory, distractibility, and response inhibition.
- Analyzed concentrations of various ω-3 PUFAs, including EPA, in breast milk samples.
Main Results:
- Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations were higher in breast milk at 42 days compared to 8 months postpartum.
- Lower breast milk EPA levels (< 0.05%) at both 42 days and 8 months were significantly associated with reduced infant distractibility (P < 0.05).
- No significant associations were found between other ω-3 PUFAs and infant executive function scores.
Conclusions:
- Higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in breast milk may enhance infant attention.
- The beneficial effect on infant distractibility appears to occur when EPA levels are below a specific threshold.
- This suggests a targeted role for EPA in early cognitive development, particularly in attention regulation.
Objectives:
Dietary ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) may affect infants' executive function (EF), although it remains unclear whether this may be the effect of total ω-3 PUFAs or any specific ω-3 PUFA. We assessed the associations between ω-3 PUFAs in breast milk and EF in infants at 8 mo of age.
Methods:
Milk samples from the mothers of 120 breast-fed infants were collected at 42 d and 8 mo postpartum in Beijing, China. Infant's EF was evaluated by planning tasks and A-not-B tasks, including working memory, distractibility, and inhibition of prepotent response at age 8 mo.
Results:
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations in breast milk were significantly higher at 42 d than 8 mo postpartum. Breast milk EPA levels at both 42 d (P = 0.037) and 8 mo (P = 0.005) postpartum were negatively associated with infant distractibility when EPA levels were low (< 0.05%). No significant association was observed for other ω-3 PUFAs with infant EF scores.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest a beneficial effect of higher EPA in breast milk (improving infant's attention) when its levels are below a certain threshold.
More Related Videos
07:08Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
10:02Event Related Potentials ERPs and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD
Published on: March 12, 2020
