As regards fatty acids concentrations in the milk of the women studied, the researcher of the UGR underlines that the most abundant fatty acid was oleic acid -a component of olive oil. This represents 33% to 40% of the total fatty acids present in the human milk sampled, a result which is comparable to that found in other Mediterranean countries.

Jose Luis Gomez Llorente suggests that "human milk is the ideal method of feeding healthy newborns". Among other nutrients, human breast milk supplies lipids, "which play a crucial role and contain unsaturated omega-3 and 6 fatty acids (linoleic acid and linolenic acid) and its long-chain derivatives (arachinodic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The latter is associated with the development of different functions in the newborn, such as cognitive development (learning) and vision development; it is also associated with protection against allergic diseases and atopy." "Breastfeeding mothers can significantly improve the composition of their milk by optimising their diet by following international recommendations" -he notes.

Source: University of Granada