The Fatty Acid Composition of Human Milk in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

The authors previously reported that the milk of Yoruba women in southwestern Nigeria was deficient in •-linolenic acid and contained a high percentage (42%) of medium chain–length fatty acids (MCFA, C10-C14). In the present study, the authors used capillary gas-liquid chromatography to analyze the milk of Hausawomen in the northern region of Nigeria. The milk of the Hausa women contained 27% MCFA, 10.6% linoleic acid, 0.41% •-linolenic acid, 0.52% arachidonic acid, and 0.32% docosahexaenoic acid. The proportion of •-linolenic acid in the serum phospholipids of a subset of exclusively breastfed infants ( n=15; mean age, 6.2 ± 0.3 months) was below the limit of detection (<0.03%). While the milk of women in northern Nigeria is adequate with regard to n-3 and n-6 fatty acids, to satisfy the requirements for •-linolenic acid, it may be necessary to supplement the infants of these women after the first 6 months of life.