The Essential Fatty Acid Requirement of Infants and the Assessment of Their Dietary Intake of Linoleate by Serum Fatty Acid Analysis

Plasma and Red Blood Cell Fatty Acid Composition in Children with Protein-Calorie Malnutrition

“…He showed ;at the weaning foods of children with kwashiorkor in Nigeria contained less than minimum recommended intake of linoleic acid ( < I % of total energy intake). Plasmic linoleic and arachidonic acid levels were decreased, whereas the concentration of eicosatrienoic acid, an abnormal fatty acid, was increased; thus satisfying Holman's criterion for EFA deficiency (an eicosatrienoic to arachidonic acid ratio of >0.4) (16,17). Other studies on children with kwashiorkor also have reported a decrease in the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fats in plasma (22,35) and in red cell lipids (32).…”

Plasma Lipids in Human Linoleic Acid Deficiency

“…Feeding experiments have been used to measure the minimum requirements of linoleic acid calculated as percent of total calories. For rats [25] this figure was 1.0, for swine [26] 1.0-2.0 and for 2-to 4-months old infants [27] it was 1.4. In each case the criterion that was used as an index that essential fatty acid deficiency was alleviated was that the ratio of the amount of trienoic fatty acids to tetraenoic fatty acids was less than 0.4.…”

"Added lactose" and "added sucrose" cow's milk formulae in nutrition of low birthweight babies.

“…The polyunsaturated fatty acids do have a number of important biological functions such as their role as components of membrane lipids and as precursors of prostaglandins (Alfin-Slater and Aftergood, 1968;Guarnieri and Johnson, 1970). Hansen et al (1962) and Holman, Caster, and Wiese (1964) concluded it was necessary to give 1 4 % total calories in the form of linoleic acid to avoid 'essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency' leading to defective skin and hair, and poor growth. We did not find any clinical evidence of EFA deficiency, in fact skin, hair, and growth were satisfactory both at 3 months and again when the children were examined at 10-22 months.…”