Role Medium-Chain Fatty Acids in the Lipid Metabolism of Infants

Tinglan Yuan; Lei Wang; Jun Jin; Lijuan Mi; Jinzhu Pang; Zhengdong Liu; Jinyan Gong; Cong Sun; Jufang Li; Wei Wei; Qingzhe Jin; Xingguo Wang

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.804880

Role Medium-Chain Fatty Acids in the Lipid Metabolism of Infants

Front Nutr. 2022 Jun 9:9:804880. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.804880. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Tinglan Yuan^{1

2}, Lei Wang¹, Jun Jin¹, Lijuan Mi³, Jinzhu Pang³, Zhengdong Liu⁴, Jinyan Gong², Cong Sun⁵, Jufang Li³, Wei Wei¹, Qingzhe Jin¹, Xingguo Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Collaborative Innovation Centre of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
² Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Biological and Chemical Processing Technologies of Farm Product, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, China.
³ Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd., Beijing, China.
⁴ Yashili International Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China.
⁵ College of Food Science and Technology, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China.

Abstract

Human breastmilk, the ideal food for healthy infants, naturally contains a high concentration of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs, about 15% of total fatty acids). MCFAs are an important energy source for infants due to their unique digestive and metabolic properties. MCFA-enriched oils are widely used in an infant formula, especially the formula produced for preterm infants. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the triglyceride structure of MCFAs in human milk, their metabolism, and their effects on infant health. This study summarized the MCFA composition and structure in both human milk and infant formula. Recent studies on the nutritional effects of MCFAs on infant gut microbiota have been reviewed. Special attention was given to the MCFAs digestion and metabolism in the infants. This paper aims to provide insights into the optimization of formulations to fulfill infant nutritional requirements.

Keywords: human milk fat; infant formula; lipid metabolism; medium-chain fatty acids; medium-chain triacylglycerols.

Publication types

Review