Affiliations 

  • 1 Nu-Mega Ingredients Pty Ltd., Brisbane 4000, Australia
  • 2 Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43300 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 3 School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia
  • 4 School of Behavioural and Health Science, Australian Catholic University, Sydney 2000, Australia
  • 5 Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, Clayton 3168, Australia
Nutrients, 2020 Jan 18;12(1).
PMID: 31963702 DOI: 10.3390/nu12010248

Abstract

: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential component for brain and visual acuity development during foetal and early postnatal life. A newly released directive under the European Commission stipulates DHA as a mandatory ingredient in infant formula. This poses challenges to manufacturers in preserving the stability and bioavailability of DHA at levels akin to human breast milk. The aims of this study were (a) to investigate the bioavailability of microencapsulated omega-3 DHA formulations in healthy toddlers compared with high DHA fish oil for a one-month period and (b) to assess the effect of DHA supplementation on children's sleep and cry patterns. Sixty toddlers were randomly allocated to four groups: 1. unfortified formula, 2. unfortified formula plus high DHA tuna oil, 3. fortified formula with dairy-based microencapsulated high DHA tuna oil powder, and 4. fortified formula with allergenic-free microencapsulated high DHA tuna oil powder. Bioavailability was assessed from both blood and faecal fatty acid levels. The results showed an enhanced bioavailability with significantly greater concentrations of blood DHA levels in formulas with microencapsulated powders. There were no significant effects of treatment on sleep and cry patterns. Application and delivery of microencapsulated DHA tuna oil powder in toddlers' formula provided better bioavailability of the active DHA.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.