The influence of a formula supplemented with dairy lipids and plant oils on the erythrocyte membrane omega-3 fatty acid profile in healthy full-term infants: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

In a double-blind controlled randomized trial, 75 healthy full-term infants are randomly allocated to receive for four months a formula supplemented with a mixture of dairy lipids and plant oils or a formula containing only plant oils or a formula containing plant oils supplemented with arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Twenty-five breast-fed infants constitute the reference group. Erythrocyte membrane omega-3 fatty acid profile, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and the other fatty acids content, the plasma lipid profile and the insulin-growth factor 1 level are measured after four months of intervention. Gastrointestinal tolerance, the changes in blood fatty acids content, in growth and body composition, assessed by means of an air displacement plethysmography system, are also evaluated throughout the study.The achievement of an appropriate long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids status represents an important goal in neonatal nutrition. Gaining further insight in the effects of the supplementation of a formula with dairy lipids and plant oils in healthy full-term infants could help to produce a formula whose fat content, composition and structure is more similar to human milk.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01611649Human milk is recognized as the gold standard for infant nutrition [1-3]. Lipids are a major component of human milk and provide 45% of total energy intake. The main constituents are triacylglycerols, phospholipids and their components fatty acids and sterols. Lipids contribute to several biological functions with regard to growth and development. In particular, human milk provides essential fatty acids (EFA) and long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) of omega-3 and omega-6 families, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) [4]. These fatty acids constitute the main components of brain tissue and have an important impact on neuronal and visual functions [5]. LC-PUFA accretion in human brain