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Associations among Human Milk Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Infant Sleep Patterns: A Cross-Sectional Study
Ana M Palacios1, Dominick J Lemas2, Bridget E Young3
1Department of Health Policy and Community Health, Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA, United States.
Background:
Infant sleep is critical for cognitive, emotional, and long-term health outcomes. Although diet-sleep relationships are established, limited research has explored how polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in human milk (HM) relate to infant sleep.
Objectives:
This study aims to examine associations between PUFAs in HM and sleep patterns in 2-mo-old infants exclusively fed with HM.
Methods:
This cross-sectional secondary analysis used data from a lactation cookie trial involving 131 parents of healthy, term infants. Participants provided a fasting HM sample and completed sociodemographic and Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire surveys. Multivariate linear models were adjusted for infant sex assigned at birth, weight-for-length z-scores, maternal prepregnancy body mass index, and daily feedings.
Results:
Participants self-identified as 81.7% White, 13.3% Hispanic, with 25.9% reporting an annual income
Conclusions:
Higher HM proportions of omega-3 and omega-6, particularly ALA and LA, were associated with greater diurnal sleep in exclusively HM-fed 2 month olds. Further research is needed to explore underlying mechanisms and long-term developmental impacts. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04805008.
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