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Breastfeeding or giving infants and children supplements of a certain
type of fatty acid could prevent them from developing hypertension,
or high blood pressure, in adulthood.
Breast milk is rich in long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids, which include docosahexaenoic acid
(DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA). DHA is also contained in fatty
fish, such as salmon, tuna and mackerel.
Infants accumulate these fatty acids in their brains during the
last 3 months in the womb and the first few months outside it. The
brain and spinal cord require a sufficient amount of these nutrients
for optimal development and function.
Infants who are breast-fed for more than
12 months have a very low incidence of hypertension.
Researchers believe that this protective effect is due to the
polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in breast milk.
When levels of DHA are reduced in animal studies, the animals
develop high blood pressure as adults. There is also evidence that
when these fatty acids are given to adults who have mild to moderate
hypertension, their blood pressure returns to normal.
Because breast-feeding may not supply all the polyunsaturated
fatty acids needed to prevent hypertension, the researchers hypothesized
that high blood pressure could be prevented by supplementing a child's
diet with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from birth through
early childhood -- "the critical period of brain growth."
Intervention needs to be done early,
because once the neural mechanisms involved in the development of
hypertension are developed, prevention may be too late.These fatty
acids prevent heart rhythm abnormalities, type 2 diabetes and reduce
cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Hypertension September 2001;38:e6-e8
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