Eicosapentaenoic acid in breast milk and executive function in infants

Abstract Objective: Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) may affect infant\u0027s executive function (EF). It remains unclear whether it may be the effect of total n-3 PUFAs or any specific n-3 PUFA. We aimed to assess the associations between n-3 PUFAs in breast milk and EF in infants at 8 months of age. Research Methods \u0026 Procedures: Milk samples from the mothers of 120 breastfed infants were collected at 42 days and 8 months postpartum in Beijing, China. Infant\u0027s EF was evaluated by planning tasks and A-not-B tasks, including working memory, distractibility and inhibition of prepotent response at age 8 months. Results: EPA concentrations in breast milk were significantly higher at 42 days than 8 months postpartum. Breast milk EPA levels at both 42 days (P=0.037) and 8 months (P=0.005) postpartum were negatively associated with infant distractibility when EPA levels were low (