Relationship between Mediterranean diet and breast milk fatty acid profile: a study in breastfeeding women in Croatia

The composition of breast milk secreted by Mediterranean women is still under-investigated. Due to the specific Mediterranean diet, the fatty acid profile of such milk could be distinctive. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between maternal diet and fatty acid profile of the mature milk obtained from 83 breastfeeding women residing in the coastal Croatia, lactating for 5-25 weeks. Their diet was evaluated using two consecutive 24-h recalls, while the fatty acid milk content was determined using gas chromatography. Among the dietary intake of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated dietary fatty acids, the most represented were palmitic (21.70 g.day(-1)), oleic (29.20 g.day(-1)) and linoleic acid (13.81 g.day(-1)), with the ratio of total dietary n-6/n-3 fatty acids of 12.01. In milk, the most represented primary monounsaturated fatty acid was oleic acid (39.63%), while the most represented saturated fatty acid was palmitic acid (20.65%). The share of linoleic, a-linolenic and docosahexaenoic fatty acid was 17.28%, 1.41% and 0.21%, respectively. The correlation between dietary fatty acids and their breast milk concentrations was established for docosahexaenoic (r=0.54, P<0.001), linoleic (r=0.24, P=0.032), palmitic (r=0.18, P=0.021) and oleic acid (r=0.21, P=0.024). In conclusion, the issue of concern is the sub-optimal dietary intake of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, resulting in their low breast milk concentrations, especially that of docosahexaenoic acid. Given its biological importance, the impact of fatty acid profile on infant health should be further investigated.