Essential fatty acids in breast milk of atopic mothers: comparison with non-atopic mothers, and effect of borage oil supplementation

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate whether levels of n-6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs) in human breast milk are related to the mother’s atopic constitution, and whether a decreased level can be restored by gamma-linolenic acid supplementation. Design: Cross-sectional study and dietary supplementation trial. Subjects: 20 atopic mothers and 20 non-atopic mothers (controls), all lactating. Setting: General population. Interventions: The atopic mothers were randomly assigned to low (n=10) or high (n=10) dosage oral supplementation with oral borage oil for one week (230 or 460 mg gamma-linolenic acid (18:3n-6) per day). Main outcome measures: Essential fatty acid composition of the breast milk total fat fraction, determined by gas liquid chromatography. Results: Arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) was lower in breast milk of atopic mothers compared with non-atopic mothers (0.39 wt% vs 0.46 wt%, difference −0.07% wt% (95% confidence limits −0.13, −0.01 wt%; PEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2000) 54, 234–238