P1024 - TEMPORAL PROGRESSION OF FATTY ACID CONCENTRATIONS IN TERM VERSUS PRETERM HUMAN MILK SAMPLES - THE NUTRISHIELD STUDY

P1024

TEMPORAL PROGRESSION OF FATTY ACID CONCENTRATIONS IN TERM VERSUS PRETERM HUMAN MILK SAMPLES - THE NUTRISHIELD STUDY

N. Eftaxiopoulou^1,*, V. Ramos-Garcia¹, A. Parra-Llorca^1,2,3, M. Gormaz^1,2,3, I. Ten-Doménech^1,3,4, J. Kuligowski^1,3,5

¹Neonatal Research Group, Health Research Institute La Fe (IIS La Fe), ²Division of Neonatology, University & Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia, ³Spanish Network in Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Developmental Health Research (RICORS- SAMID) (RD24/0013/0014), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, ⁴Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, ⁵Servicio de Análisis de Vesículas Extracelulares (SAVE), Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain

Rationale: Human milk (HM) is the preferred method of feeding for preterm infants, yet its composition has been found to vary substantially. The present study aims to investigate the differences in the fatty acid profile of HM from mothers who delivered preterm versus full-term infants, in a longitudinal manner.

Methods: In the prospective cohort study NUTRISHIELD, 196 HM samples were collected from 32 mothers delivering term (>37 weeks of gestational age) and 42 delivering preterm infants (<32 weeks of gestational age) at five time points, during the first six months of the infant’s life. A total of 29 fatty acids were quantified through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after derivatization. Results are expressed as median and interquartile range and statistical analysis was conducted using Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test.

Results: Higher proportions of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were evident in preterm compared to term HM, for up to two months postpartum (p=0.02). Conversely, lower monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFAs) contents were detected during the first three months (p=0.03). At the first time point, lower concentrations of total omega-3, omega-6 and trans-fatty acids were observed in preterm compared to term HM samples (p<0.05). Additionally, docosahexaenoic acid was consistently found in lower percentages in preterm milk during the first two months of lactation (p=0.02).

Conclusion: Results indicate that compared to ΗΜ from mothers that delivered full-term, preterm ΗΜ was lower in MUFAs and omega-3 fatty acids and higher in SFAs. These differences diminished gradually, as lactation progressed.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared