Table 9.
Erythrocytes and plasma fatty acid composition (g/100 g of total fat) of the omnivore human milk donors with full-term infants (Donors) and vegetarian/vegan lactating mothers (Veg).
| Fatty Acid (%) | Common Name | Donors (n = 92) | Veg (n = 20) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERYTHROCYTES | ||||
| Saturated Fatty Acids (SFAs) | ||||
| C14:0 | Myristic | 0.12 (0.00) | 0.10 (0.01) | 0.041 |
| DMA C16:0 | Dimethylacetal C16:0 | 2.20 (0.02) | 1.64 (0.05) | <0.001 |
| C16:0 | Palmitic | 21.20 (0.21) | 19.97 (0.40) | 0.022 |
| DMA C18:0 | Dimethylacetal C18:0 | 3.46 (0.03) | 2.92 (0.13) | <0.001 |
| C18:0 | Stearic | 20.25 (0.15) | 19.40 (0.34) | 0.066 |
| C24:0 | Lignoceric | 2.40 (0.09) | 3.65 (0.22) | <0.001 |
| Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs) | ||||
| C17:1 | Margaroleic | 0.35 (0.01) | 0.52 (0.04) | <0.001 |
| C18:1 cis-11 (n7) | Cis vaccenic | 0.24 (0.01) | 0.32 (0.03) | 0.001 |
| C18:1 cis-9 (n9) | Oleic | 12.62 (0.15) | 13.40 (0.38) | 0.007 |
| n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-6 PUFAs) | ||||
| C18:2 (n6) | Linoleic | 8.12 (0.14) | 9.24 (0.31) | 0.002 |
| C20:3 (n6) | Dihomo-γ-linolenic | 0.99 (0.05) | 1.57 (0.14) | <0.001 |
| C20:4 (n6) | Arachidonic | 24.30 (0.32) | 24.91 (0.75) | 0.130 |
| n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-3 PUFAs) | ||||
| C20:5 (n3) | Eicosapentaenoic | 0.12 (0.02) | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.009 |
| C22:5 (n3) | Docosapentaenoic | 0.73 (0.03) | 0.66 (0.04) | 0.151 |
| C22:6 (n3) | Docosahexaenoic | 2.90 (0.12) | 1.72 (0.32) | <0.001 |
| Fatty Acid Families | ||||
| DMAs | 5.66 (0.05) | 4.55 (0.16) | <0.001 | |
| SFAs | 43.98 (0.28) | 43.12 (0.49) | 0.347 | |
| MUFAs | 13.20 (0.15) | 14.23 (0.44) | 0.003 | |
| PUFAs | 37.09 (0.39) | 38.10 (0.65) | 0.308 | |
| MCFAs (C8-C15) | 0.12 (0.00) | 0.10 (0.01) | 0.041 | |
| LCFAs (C16-C18) | 62.78 (0.46) | 62.85 (0.73) | 0.924 | |
| VLCFAs (C20-C24) | 29.04 (0.39) | 28.85 (0.76) | 0.992 | |
| n-6 PUFAs | 33.41 (0.30) | 35.72 (0.59) | 0.007 | |
| n-3 PUFAs | 3.75 (0.16) | 2.38 (0.35) | <0.001 | |
| n-6 PUFAs/n-3 PUFAs | 10.83 (0.59) | 21.09 (2.49) | <0.001 | |
| PLASMA | ||||
| Saturated Fatty Acids (SFAs) | ||||
| C14:0 | Myristic | 0.28 (0.01) | 0.24 (0.03) | 0.062 |
| C15:0 | Pentadecylic | 0.05 (0.00) | 0.03 (0.00) | 0.003 |
| DMA C16:0 | Dimethylacetal C16:0 | 0.20 (0.01) | 0.12 (0.01) | <0.001 |
| C16:0 | Palmitic | 21.17 (0.17) | 19.10 (0.49) | <0.001 |
| DMA C18:0 | Dimethylacetal C18:0 | 0.08 (0.00) | 0.05 (0.01) | <0.001 |
| C18:0 | Stearic | 6.26 (0.07) | 5.86 (0.15) | 0.033 |
| Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs) | ||||
| C16:1 cis-9 (n7) | Palmitoleic | 0.43 (0.02) | 0.42 (0.08) | 0.010 |
| C18:1 cis-11 (n7) | Cis vaccenic | 0.44 (0.01) | 0.55 (0.04) | 0.002 |
| C18:1 cis-9 (n9) | Oleic | 18.40 (0.26) | 19.92 (0.99) | 0.411 |
| n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-6 PUFAs) | ||||
| C18:2 (n6) | Linoleic | 39.20 (0.46) | 41.28 (1.42) | 0.390 |
| C20:3 (n6) | Dihomo-γ-linolenic | 1.11 (0.06) | 1.43 (0.18) | 0.057 |
| C20:4 (n6) | Arachidonic (ARA) | 11.30 (0.33) | 10.56 (0.71) | 0.533 |
| n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-3 PUFAs) | ||||
| C20:5 (n3) | Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) | 0.24 (0.03) | 0.08 (0.02) | 0.012 |
| C22:6 (n3) | Docosahexaenoic (DHA) | 0.83 (0.06) | 0.37 (0.07) | <0.001 |
| Fatty Acid Families | ||||
| DMAs | 0.29 (0.01) | 0.17 (0.01) | <0.001 | |
| SFAs | 27.76 (0.19) | 25.23 (0.48) | <0.001 | |
| MUFAs | 19.27 (0.26) | 20.89 (1.06) | 0.454 | |
| PUFAs | 52.68 (0.34) | 53.71 (1.11) | 0.309 | |
| MCFA (C8-C15) | 0.33 (0.02) | 0.27 (0.03) | 0.031 | |
| LCFA (C16-C18) | 85.91(0.40) | 87.12 (0.75) | 0.361 | |
| VLCFA (C20-C24) | 13.48 (0.39) | 12.44 (0.74) | 0.456 | |
| n-6 PUFAs | 51.61 (0.34) | 53.26 (1.10) | 0.173 | |
| n-3 PUFAs | 1.07 (0.08) | 0.45 (0.09) | <0.001 | |
| n-6 PUFAs/n-3 PUFAs | 82.35 (6.70) | 173.23 (26.35) | <0.001 | |
Data expressed as means (standard error of the mean). Abbreviations: DMA, dimethylacetal, MCFA, medium-chain fatty acids; LCFA, long-chain fatty acids; and VLCFA: very-long-chain fatty acids.