High proportions of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in mature milk of mothers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Milk from 101 mothers living in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) showed a mean lipid content of 33.42 g/l and a fatty acid composition strongly related to the mothers' dietary habits: high proportions of linoleic acid (19.80%), n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (1.90%), and 8:0– 14:0 saturated fatty acids (26.94%). Conclusion: The proportions of α-linolenic acid (0.45%) and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (0.44%) were low. The 18:2 /18:3 and n-6/n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids ratios (53:1 and 5:1, respectively) were well above recommendations.