Evolution of breast milk fatty acids in Spanish mothers after one year of uninterrupted lactation

The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding of infants for the first sixth months of life and advises that it shall continue for up to two years of age or beyond in combination with complementary foods. However, the image of a woman breastfeeding a toddler or a preschooler is unusual in western societies. Exploring the nutritional properties of milk during prolonged lactation can help normalizing prolonged breastfeeding. Human milk fatty acid composition was determined in sixteen lactating mothers practicing prolonged lactation (>= 12 months) and sixteen women on their first twelve months of lactation. Breast milk after one year is richer in saturated fatty acids, particularly lauric and myristic, showing a tendency towards lower levels of oleic acid, and higher of arachidonic, alpha-linolenic and docosahexaenoic acids, in comparison to early milk ( < 1 year). The age and body condition of the mother, parity, sex of the baby, and diet influence also the fattyacidome of milk.