Issue 7, 2024

Dietary intake of different ratios of ARA/DHA in early stages and its impact on infant development

Abstract

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) are essential in the development of infants. ARA and DHA from breast milk or infant formula are the main sources of access for infants to meet their physiological and metabolic needs. The ratio of ARA to DHA in breast milk varies among regions and different lactation stages. Different ratios of ARA and DHA mainly from algal oil, animal fat, fish oil, and microbial oil, are added to infant formula in different regions and infant age ranges. Supplementing with appropriate ratios of ARA and DHA during infancy promotes brain, neural, visual, and other development aspects. In this review, we first introduced the current intake status of ARA and DHA in different locations, lactation stages, and age ranges in breast milk and infant formula. Finally, we discussed the effect of different ratios of ARA and DHA on infant development. This review provided a comprehensive research basis for the nutritional research of infants who consume different ratios of ARA and DHA.

Graphical abstract: Dietary intake of different ratios of ARA/DHA in early stages and its impact on infant development

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
24 10 2023
Accepted
05 3 2024
First published
07 3 2024

Food Funct., 2024,15, 3259-3273

Dietary intake of different ratios of ARA/DHA in early stages and its impact on infant development

L. Fan, X. Wang, I. M. Szeto, B. Liu, A. J. Sinclair and D. Li, Food Funct., 2024, 15, 3259 DOI: 10.1039/D3FO04629J

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