Content of industrially produced trans fatty acids in breast milk: An observational study

Abstract

Breast milk may contain industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs), which can affect the content of essential fatty acids (EFAs). This could have significant implications for the child's development. The fatty acids present in breast milk can be modified by adjusting the mother's diet. The objective of this study was to determine the content of industrially produced TFAs present in colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk produced by mothers between 18 and 45 years of age in the state of Querétaro, Mexico, based on a longitudinal observational study. The TFA content in the breast milk of 33 lactating women was analyzed using gas chromatography. The mothers’ consumption of TFAs was also estimated by analyzing a log prepared through 24‐hr dietary recall (24HR) obtained in each period. The TFA content in the mothers’ diet was similar across the colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk phases: 1.64 ± 1.25 g, 1.39 ± 1.01, and 1.66 ± 1.13 g, respectively. The total TFA content was 1.529% ± 1.648% for colostrum; 0.748% ± 1.033% for transitional milk and 0.945% ± 1.368% for mature milk. Elaidic acid was the TFA in the highest concentration in all three types of milk. No correlation was found between the content of industrially produced TFAs in breast milk and the anthropometric measurements of the mother or between the estimated consumption of TFAs and the content of TFAs in breast milk. Elaidic acid and total content of TFAs were negatively correlated ( p < .05) with the content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (0.394 ± 0.247) ( R = −0.382) in colostrum. The concentration of TFAs was found to correlate with the composition of EFAs in milk.

Design and Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire to Evaluate the Consumption of Trans Fatty Acids in the Adult Population (FFQ-TFA)

“…This estimate was limited by the heterogeneity of the national databases used to obtain the data for each region [ 3 ]. Recently, consumption of TFA of industrial origin was estimated for a group of lactating women using 3-24 HR (two weekdays and one weekend), finding an estimated consumption of 1.66 ± 1.13 g/day or 0.70 ± 0.48% of total calories consumed [ 22 ]. The differences between these Mexican estimates of TFA consumption may be due to variations in the methods used but, above all, due to the use of tools not specifically developed for specifically estimating TFA intake.…”

“…The second estimate mentions an average consumption of 3.6% of total daily kilocalories [ 3 ]. The third [ 22 ] estimates TFA consumption by a small number of lactating women using a 24-h dietary recall (24 HR). In this study, the estimated daily consumption of TFA was 1.56 ± 0.75 g/day, or 0.66% ± 0.29% of total energy consumption.…”

Trans isomeric fatty acids in human milk and their role in infant health and development

“…EA values correlated inversely to LA in C ( r = −0.670, p < 0.001), and to AA in MM ( r = −0.364, p < 0.05), while there was a strong positive correlation with ALA values in C ( r = +0.844, p < 0.001) and TM samples ( r = +0.844, p < 0.001), but not in MM. In contrast, DHA values were significantly inversely correlated to EA in C ( r = −0.422, p < 0.05), but directly in TM ( r = +0.615, p < 0.001) samples, while in MM no significant correlation was found ( 111 ). An early study found an inverse association between C18:1 t values and both LA ( r = −0.29, p < 0.0001) and ALA values ( r = −0.25, p < 0.001), but not with their longer chain metabolites, AA, EPA, or DHA in Canadian mothers ( 89 ).…”

“…Some studies also investigated the relationship between the total TFA content of HM samples and the PUFA values. In C, significant negative correlation was found between total TFA content on the one hand and essential n-6 LA values on the other hand ( 44 , 111 ), while no clear relationship was found with the other n-3 and n-6 PUFA values ( Table 4 ). One study found no significant correlations with AA, ALA, EPA, and DHA values ( 44 ), while the other study found significant positive correlations were found with AA, ALA, n-6 LCPUFA and n-3 PUFA values and negative correlations with DHA ( 111 ).…”

“…Previous studies have reported varying results regarding the levels of TFAs in HM during lactation. Some studies have shown a significant decrease in TFA levels over time, with the highest values observed in the C ( 40 , 111 , 112 , 114 , 115 ), while others have reported a similar trend, but without statistical significance ( 44 , 91 ). In contrast, some research groups have found opposite results, with the lowest TFA values measured in C increasing over time ( 67 , 92 , 116 ), or showing an initial decrease followed by a non-significant increase ( 113 ).…”