Essential fatty acid requirements in pregnancy and lactation with special reference to brain development
In: Progress in lipid research, Jg. 20 (1981)
Online
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Zugriff:
In the human pregnancy, the additional energy requirements appear to be guaranteed by a substantial deposition of lipid stores (40,500 kcal) during the early part of pregnancy which can then provide both for the foetal growth spurt of late pregnancy and meet part of the energy cost of lactation. The foetal accumulation of protein is quantitavely small (1600 kcal). In human milk, lipid provides 60% of the infant's dietary energy and 10–12% of that is the essential fatty acid component. Protein only accounts for about 6% of the dietary energy. Lipids are involved in a major way in the development of the brain and vascular systems. Because these systems are developed to an outstanding degree in the human species, the suggestion will be made that dietary consideration of lipids, both quantitatively and qualitatively, may be of greater significance to early human development than consideration of protein. Lipid is quantitatively the most important component of the nervous system. The extent of brain development during foetal and early postnatal growth in the human is remarkable by comparison with other animal species. In the human, much of the brain cell division occurs during foetal growth. Brain cells and synapses have a high content of essential fatty acids. These are present as 20 and 22 carbon chain length polyunsaturated derivatives of linoleic and α-linolenic acids. Experimental depletion of these long-chain PUFA is associated with functional distortions and high perinatal mortality. The rate of synthesis of the long-chain PUFA is limited by the desaturase reactions and the high concentrations achieved by other foetus are the result of sequential metabolism of reprocessing the maternal liver, placenta, foetal liver and foetal brain. The thesis is presented that foetal and infant development is normally protected by deposition of fat and other nutrient stores in the mother and the infant, in advance of requirements. If this theory is correct, it implies that measures for the prevention of low birth weight and malnutrition need to be implemented early in pregnancy, if not before.
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Essential fatty acid requirements in pregnancy and lactation with special reference to brain development
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Autor/in / Beteiligte Person: | Hassam, A.G. ; Stevens, P. ; Crawford, Michael A. |
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Zeitschrift: | Progress in lipid research, Jg. 20 (1981) |
Veröffentlichung: | 1981 |
Medientyp: | unknown |
ISSN: | 0163-7827 (print) |
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