Table 3.
Human milk long‐chain fatty acid profiles
| Fatty Acid Component | NW (n = 16) | OW/OB (n = 16) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| N6:N3 LC‐PUFA ratio | 12.82 (3.04) | 12.98 (3.08) | .78 |
| %nmol of total LCFA | |||
| Saturated LCFA | |||
| 14:0, myristic acid | 3.75 (0.99) | 4.63 (1.76) | .09 |
| 15:0, pentadecylic acid | 0.26 (0.09) | 0.28 (0.07) | .37 |
| 16:0, palmitic acid | 21.96 (2.96) | 24.34 (2.54) | .02 |
| 18:0, stearic acid | 7.44 (1.86) | 7.82 (1.27) | .50 |
| 19:0, nonadecylic acid | 0.14 (0.11) | 0.16 (0.09) | .29 |
| 20:0, arachidic acid | 0.22 (0.05) | 0.22 (0.03) | .95 |
| 21:0, heneicosylic acid | 0.08 (0.03) | 0.10 (0.03) | .09 |
| 22:0, behenic acid | 0.09 (0.04) | 0.08 (0.03) | .93 |
| 24:0, lignoceric acid | 0.08 (0.02) | 0.09 (0.04) | .62 |
| Mono‐unsaturated LCFA | |||
| 14:1 (n‐5), myristoleic acid | 0.18 (0.08) | 0.22 (0.08) | .19 |
| 16:1 (n‐7)c, palmitoleic acid (cis) | 2.03 (0.78) | 2.40 (0.59) | .14 |
| 16:1 (n‐7)t, palmitoleic acid (trans) | 0.24 (0.05) | 0.24 (0.05) | .87 |
| 18:1 (n‐7), vaccenic acid | 2.83 (0.62) | 3.04 (0.63) | .34 |
| 18:1 (n‐9), oleic acid | 40.81 (5.16) | 36.37 (3.37) | .01 |
| 20:1, gadoleic acid | 0.10 (0.12) | 0.2 (0.23) | .60 |
| 22:1, brassidic acid | 0.09 (0.02) | 0.10 (0.03) | .44 |
| 24:1, nervonic acid | 0.09 (0.04) | 0.10 (0.03) | .72 |
| Poly‐unsaturated LCFA | |||
| 18:2 (n‐6)cc, linoleic acid (cis) | 16.08 (2.93) | 15.82 (4.06) | .83 |
| 18:2 (n‐6)tt, linoleic acid (trans) | 0.07 (0.04) | 0.10 (0.04) | .06 |
| 18:2 (n‐7,9) Conjugate, conjugated linoleic acid | 0.45 (0.18) | 0.34 (0.18) | .02 |
| 18:3 (n‐3), alpha‐linolenic acid | 1.02 (0.31) | 1.06 (0.59) | .52 |
| 18:3 (n‐6), gamma‐linolenic | 0.08 (0.03) | 0.09 (0.03) | .41 |
| 18:4 (n‐3), stearidonic acid | 0.05 (0.03) | 0.04 (0.04) | .78 |
| 20:2 (n‐6), eicosadienoic acid | 0.38 (0.07) | 0.42 (0.10) | .21 |
| 20:3 (n‐6), dihomo‐gamma‐linolenic acid | 0.38 (0.09) | 0.54 (0.20) | .01 |
| 20:4 (n‐6), arachidonic acid | 0.50 (0.14) | 0.58 (0.24) | .29 |
| 20:5 (n‐3), eicosapentaenoic acid | 0.07 (0.03) | 0.09 (0.07) | .62 |
| 20:5 (n‐6), bosseopentaenoic acid | 0.06 (0.01) | 0.07 (0.04) | .17 |
| 22:2 (n‐6), docosadienoic acid | 0.05 (0.07) | 0.03 (0.02) | .98 |
| 22:4 (n‐6), adrenic acid | 0.10 (0.04) | 0.14 (0.06) | .02 |
| 22:5 (n‐3), docosapentaenoic acid | 0.14 (0.08) | 0.12 (0.04) | .35 |
| 22:5 (n‐6), osbond acid | 0.006 (0.004) | 0.006 (0.005) | .45 |
| 22:6 (n‐3), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) | 0.19 (0.16) | 0.16 (0.09) | .66 |
Note. Data presented as mean (standard deviation). Values for fatty acids are given as percentage nmol of the fatty acid/total long‐chain fatty acid. Bolded font indicates statistical significance at p < .05 based on a t test or Mann‐Whitney U test as appropriate based on distribution.
Abbreviations: LCFA, long‐chain fatty acid; N6:N3 LC‐PUFA, N6:N3 long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acid; NW, mothers with normal weight; OW/OB, mothers with overweight or obesity.