Effects of LC-PUFA (Long Chain Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids) in Infancy

LC-PUFA (Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) is those polyunsaturated fatty acids which have more than 20 carbon atoms and 2 or more double bindings. Most important LC-PUFA are EPA or Eicosapentaenoic acid (C 20:5 n-3), AA or Arachidonic acid (C 20:4 n-6) and DHA or Docosahexaenoic Acid (C 22:6 n-3). LCPUFA is important for the structural and functional development of an infant. Such as lower intake of DHA has a positive correlation with the risk of proper neurological development. And the deficiency of DHA and EPA may cause visual problems and allergic diseases. Infants can perform endogenous conversion very low amount from 18 carbon precursor fatty acids such as linoleic acid and alfa-linolenic acid to LC-PUFA. So they have to be depended on antenatal placental transfer, breast milk or infant formula for LC-PUFA. Several types of research showed that in the postnatal period LC-PUFAs supplementation with infant formula or with lactating mother’s diet or the direct addition to the breast milk is adequate and practical to increase DHA level of infants [1]. Supplementation of LC-PUFA as an infant formula can be very much helpful if there is any shortage of LC-PUFA in infants. It is always better to give the lactating mother foods containing LCPUFA rather than to feed infants to infant formula. Discussion