The Role of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Infant Development
Question:
Discuss about the Importance of LCPs in a Childs Development for Cognitive Development.
Long-chain polyunsaturated are essential nutrients which are much needed in the body of an infant. In most cases, they are found naturally in the breast milk and some other few types of foods that are used to help the child remain health after weaning. They determine and influence many processes and functioning of the body (1).
The LCPs play a very big role in the quick development of the brain in an infant. They also contribute to the cognitive development, cardiovascular health and the buildup of the immune system. Many people around the globe mothers included do not clearly know the benefits of these acids as well as the possible consequences in case they are lacking in the body. Both the healthcare professionals and the nutritionists have a big responsibility and the, therefore, must act fast and swiftly to provide the nutrients in the food supplement for the babies (2).
Good nutrition is quite essential for both physical and mental development at every stage of a child’s life. The first years of life are very delicate in the development of a child. Any kind of nutrition-related disorder at this specific period has both long term and short-term consequences which can eventually cause permanent impairment if not handled with care. They also affect the brain development and functions. The first few years of human life are also characterized rapid brain development. The nerves get interconnected in the body in order to adapt to the environment that changes each day. The brain network modelling is essential for the development of motor skills, good vision, language and cognition. All the nutrients which are required for the support of this processes must be offered in the diet (3).
Polyunsaturated fatty acids are much needed for a good growth and they appear in many different forms. The long chain forms are not much valued compared to the short chain forms. The polyunsaturated fatty acids are very crucial for the entire body. Some of the good examples of the LCPs are docosahexaenoic and arachidonic. Both of these acids are more concentrated in the CNS than in any other part of the body (4). The amount of fatty acids in the body increases rapidly during the first one year of life. They begin accumulating in the body after twenty-two weeks of gestation and progresses continuously until the age of two. Human milk has some deposits of both the DHA and the AA to support their requirement in a developing brain. The amount of AA .is always higher than the amount of DHA. The breast milk AA content is varied less compared to that of DHA. The concentration of DHA is approximately 0.05% of the total amount of fatty acids in the body. The average value of DHA in breast milk globally is approximately 0.3%.
Both the AA and the DHA can be extracted and processed from the carbon precursors in which they are found. The AA is extracted and processed from linoleic acid by a process which is known as elongation and desaturation. The DHA, on the other hand, is obtained and processed from alpha-linolenic acid. A good number of the scientific studies that have been done until the present time have revealed equivalent DHA and AA status in the growing babies fed with the fatty acids compared to their counterpart infants who did not have it. This particular observation was especially found true for the DHA (5)
The Importance of Good Nutrition for Infant Development
Many of the functions roles of docosahexaenoic acid as well as the arachidonic acid are solely based on what is known currently about their concentration in the central nervous system. For example, the white and grey matter in the cerebral brain have some special LCPUFA. The concentration of the AA in inositol phosphoglycerides is greatly higher than that of DHA while the DHA is higher than AA in serine phosphoglycerides. The two of them are really important in the transduction of signals within the brain (6)
Lack of fatty acids in the body can cause both short-term and long-term effects. Some of the consequences caused lack of enough long-chain polyunsaturated acids are low sensitivity to photoreceptors, visual acuity, change in the variability of the heart rate etc. those who are fed using a formula have some kind of weak cognitive function, systolic blood pressure, high body fat weight and increase in respiratory-related problems (7).
The long- chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs), when supplemented on the child at his or her early months of life, have shown meaningful beneficial outcomes. It has shown a reasonable impact on the brain and retinal development. The conducted recent studies have shown a number of impacts on differences in potential abilities and behaviours of an individual when performing a task that requires response inhibition (Go or No- Go) at the age of 5 years. The children who have been using the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids shown a marginally faster reaction in behaviours than in those who were not supplemented with this product during their first 12 months of their life. The five years old children who had not been supplemented with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids have low P2 amplitude than the children who have been supplemented to the GO and NO-GO trials. The N2 amplitude was a bit higher on No-Go trials than in Go trials for the children who had not been supplemented, but in the supplemented children the N2 resulted in a significant group x condition occurrence.
Different long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are taken at different doses according to the type of LCPs for infants. The current recommended dosage is as follows; DHA 60.2% of total fat5 WHO/ FAO, 2006 an-6 LCP 2% of total fat max, 1% as AA, 2008 AA 0.5% of total fat DHA at 035 of the total fat8 Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Ernahrung, 2007 b DHA 0.2% of the total fat10 of American Dietic Association and that of Canadian Dietetic. The 2008 infant formula of DHA: 0.2- 0.5% fatty acids is the most currently recommended dosage (8).
Topography analysis of the event-related potentials shown that the long- chain polyunsaturated fatty acids supplement group have developed a microstate novel period which constitutes a large anterior activation of the brain. The findings showed that the product of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) supplemented at the first 12 months of the child’s life that enables developmental programs reflected by brain electrophysiology (9). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22: 6n -3) is an important polyunsaturated fatty acid which forms the membrane lipids of grey matter in the cerebral cortex and also in the eye retina. This has been demonstrated in the children who have been supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid supplement while breastfeeding in the first 12 months of their life. The shown improvement in the brain development and the retina has reflected a great difference between children who have been supplemented with polyunsaturated fatty acids and those who have not been supplemented have a low quantity of grey matter in their retina. In the un-supplemented children, a substantial of these products are fed to the fetus through the placenta and via breastfeeding for the first 12 months from the mothers who been taking these supplements in their diet. The crucial effect of the 3- n polyunsaturated fatty acids (n- 3PUFA) in the early child development have been researched in several randomized and controlled trials (10)
Effects of Lack of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
The docosahexaenoic acid supplement when given to the pregnant women has been noted to have beneficial effects on problem-solving skills and visual functioning of their infants at their first year of life. Cognitive development and visual acuity are some of the beneficial effects that have been noted scientifically in children whose milk formulas have been supplemented with n- 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (11). Despite the benefits of supplementing the infants with the long- chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, there are some long-term effects that have been examined on perinatal n- 3 PUFA usage beyond infancy. In one study the intake of docosahexaenoic acid during pregnancy was associated with high scores in cognitive development during the experiment of Kaufman Assessment Battery for children (K- ABC) on children of four-year age and subsequent processes at age of seven years. In a different study, the DHA supplement yields improvement in motor functioning in the children of 7 years while there were no effects observed on K- ABC at 7 and 4 years of age. In both studies, the brain assessment shown general intelligence without any evident information on the benefits of DHA in cognitive functions. This was contrary to the animals’ research that shown an important role of DHA in memory development (12). Seafood is the main sources of docosahexaenoic acid supplements in human nutrients. These supplements include fish and other marine animals. However, there are some other components in the supplements of marine animals. Some of the components include polychlorinated biphenyls and methyl-mercuric compounds which have been related to risky effects on cognitive development in early infancy (13).
In one of the observation study, it was shown that low quantity of fat intake at the age of 2 years may prone a child to a high risk of obesity and in future, it can make a child become resistant to lepton at the age 20 years. In the recent years, it has been found that marine oils are added to prenatal minerals and vitamins and also to specific foods for women during the perinatal period. The main benefits of this supplement are that they suggested an increase in the supply of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22: 6n-3) and n- 3 long- chain polyunsaturated fatty acids at the final trimester of pregnancy and during postnatal life. This enhances the development of fetal and infants’ brain and extensive body growth related to the long- chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplement in infants formula for preterm and term infants. The omega- 3 and omega- 6 are the unsaturated fatty acids that are very important for an organism and due to the fact that they are not synthesized in the body but they are supplemented to the diet. A research to determine whether unsaturated fatty acids supplementation to the diet of pregnant mothers has effects on obesity was conducted. In this research, it was recommended that administration of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to the pregnant mothers lack final evidence between gestation period and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation duration (14).
The DHA (22- carbon), long -chain fatty acids present in the breast milk plays a prominent role in the structure formation and functioning of the brain. The most important part influenced is the retina and cerebral cortex. The quantity of arachnoid acid and docosahexaenoic acid present in the breast milk are variable in different countries and it is dependent on mother’s diet (15). A number of studies shown a dose-response interaction between the red blood cells DHA levels and the level of DHA taken through breastfeeding. Numerous studies have evaluated visual acuity in infants through studies conducted on children of below 5 years for assessment of psychomotor development outcomes and infants mental. The best primary sources of DHA are eggs, some meats and fatty fish. The main role of supplementing DHA in the diet of pregnant mothers, lactating women, infants and also in children below 5 years is to improve the nervous system which is an important issue to look after as dietitians. The infants who were fed using the breast milk acquired DHA in the grey matter of their brain cortex at their first 12 months. The infants who were fed using the formula without supplement were found lacking DHA and shown a reasonable change in brain cortex. Based on the available past year’s studies, the DHA and ARA have been recommended to be supplemented to in term infant’s formula8-10 to help in good child’s mental development and the general body health as it has applied in some European countries (16). A study interrelating between two different formulas of varying levels of ARA and DHA have shown that the one with higher DHA and ARA quantity resulted in more level of red blood cells DH12.
Recommended Dosages for Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake in Infants
During the significance brain growth period, DHA accumulates quickly in the cerebral cortex and in the retina. This occurs between the final trimester and the 2nd year of life. At this time the toddlers and infants require optimum levels of AA and DHA in their diet via either DHA- or ARA-supplemented formula, breast milk or eventually by solid foods. The consistency of the lactating mother’s diet determines the level of DHA in the breast milk. The DHA levels in the neural tissues and those in red blood cells specify cognitive functioning and visual acuity. DHA and ARA levels vary according to toddlers and term formulas. As dietitians, it is our role to educate the parents and also the health care providers of young children and infants on how to improve the DHA supplement status in the diet of children through DHA supplemented formulas, DHA containing foods and breast milk.
References
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