Essential fatty acid composition of human colostrum triglycerides: its relationship with adipose tissue composition13

The relationships between essential fatty acid (EFA) composition ofcobostrum and white adipose tissue (WAT) were examined on day 5 after delivery in 69 healthy women. Fatty acid composition was assessed by capillary gas chromatography, and 33 fatty acids were detected in cobostrum and in WAT. Total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content was similar in cobostrum and in WAT(l5.7 ± 3.1% and 16.1 ± 3.8%, respectively), but long-chain PUFA content was higher in colostrum than in WAT (2.9 ± 0.6% and 1 ± 0.2%, respectively; P < 0.001). The concentrations oflinoleic acid were significantly correlated between cobostrum and WAT (r = 0.77, P < 0.0001). No correlation was found for a-linolenic acid. The relationships between bong-chain PUFA composition ofcolostrum and WAT suggested that individual factors along with tissue specificity of the mammary gland are involved in either the capacity of desaturating and chain-elongating pathways and/or incorporation of long-chain PUFAs into cobostrum. Am J Clin Nutr