 Breastfeeding's protection against illness-induced anorexia is mediated partially by docosahexaenoic acid..pdf | [Breastfeeding\'s protection against illness-induced anorexia is mediated partially by docosahexaenoic acid.] | 121 kB |
Share on Facebook
Breastfeeding's protection against illness-induced anorexia is mediated partially by docosahexaenoic acid.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan;62(1):32-8. Epub 2007 Feb 21. PMID: 17311056
Unidad de Investigación Médica en Nutrición, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI. Mexican Institute of Social Security, Mexico City, Mexico. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
OBJECTIVE: To test whether breastfeeding's protection against anorectic responses to infection is mediated by n-3 fatty acids' attenuation of interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha.
DESIGN: Experimental and observational studies.
SETTING: A hospital-based study was conducted. SUBJECTS: Five groups of infants were followed; three in the experimental and two in the observational study.
METHODS: Breast-fed- (BF-1), DHA-supplemented formula- (SFF-1), and non-DHA-supplemented formula-fed (FF-1) infants were studied before and after immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and haemophilus influenzae type b. Pre- and post-immunization energy intakes (EI) and serum IL-1beta and TNFalpha were measured. The two other groups, breast-fed (BF-2) and formula-fed (FF-2) infants with pneumonia were followed throughout hospitalization. EI, IL-1beta and TNFalpha were measured at admission and discharge. Baseline erythrocyte fatty acid contents were determined.
RESULTS: Both cytokines increased following immunization in all feeding groups. Post-immunization reductions in EI of SFF-1 infants (-11.8+/-5%, CI(95)=-23.3, 1.4%, P=0.07) were intermediate to those observed in BF-1 (-5.2+/-4.2%, CI(95)=-15.2, 5.9%, P=0.27) and FF-1 infants (-18+/-4.4%, CI(95)=-29%, -5.4%, P=0.02). In the observational study, TNFalpha (17.2+/-8.3 vs 3.4+/-3.0 ng/l, P=0.001) and decreases in EI (-31+/-43 vs -15+/-31%, CI(95)=-34%, 0.001%, P=0.056) were greater in FF-2 than in BF-2 infants at admission. Breastfeeding duration was associated positively with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) erythrocyte contents, and negatively with admission TNFalpha. Decreases in EIs were associated with IL-1beta and TNFalpha concentrations.
CONCLUSION: Reductions in EI following immunologic or infectious stimuli were associated with increases in IL-1beta and TNFalpha. Those reductions were attenuated by breastfeeding, and mediated in part by tissue DHA.
