Plasma apoprotein and lipid patterns in newborns: influence of nutritional factors

In this study the plasma lipid and apoprotein concentrations have been assayed in 80 full-term newborns, at 0, 7 and 30 days of life, and the data have been analyzed as a function of the composition of the diet. The total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, the apo A-I, A-II and B protein concentrations were followed in 4 groups of infants receiving respectively breast-feeding, adapted formulae I, II with a P/S ratio close to that of maternal milk and a formula III enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids. After 7 and 30 days the infants receiving the adapted formulae I and II have plasma lipid and apoprotein values similar to those of the breast-fed infants indicating a parallel evolution of the lipids and apoproteins in the three groups. The lipid and apoprotein patterns were significantly different in the group of infants receiving a diet enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids. The total and VLDL-LDL cholesterol and the apo B protein concentrations are significantly lower than in the breast-fed infants after 7 days, and these differences become more pronounced after 30 days. These results suggest that the fatty acid composition of the diet influences the lipid and lipoprotein synthesis in newborns, specially by decreasing the lipid and apoprotein concentrations of the VLDL-LDL fraction.