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Fatty acid composition of wild anthropoid primate milks.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Milligan, LA; Rapoport, SI; Cranfield, MR; Dittus, W; Glander, KE; Oftedal, OT; Power, ML; Whittier, CA; Bazinet, RP
Published in: Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology
January 2008

Fatty acids in milk reflect the interplay between species-specific physiological mechanisms and maternal diet. Anthropoid primates (apes, Old and New World monkeys) vary in patterns of growth and development and dietary strategies. Milk fatty acid profiles also are predicted to vary widely. This study investigates milk fatty acid composition of five wild anthropoids (Alouatta palliata, Callithrix jacchus, Gorilla beringei beringei, Leontopithecus rosalia, Macaca sinica) to test the null hypothesis of a generalized anthropoid milk fatty acid composition. Milk from New and Old World monkeys had significantly more 8:0 and 10:0 than milk from apes. The leaf eating species G. b. beringei and A. paliatta had a significantly higher proportion of milk 18:3n-3, a fatty acid found primarily in plant lipids. Mean percent composition of 22:6n-3 was significantly different among monkeys and apes, but was similar to the lowest reported values for human milk. Mountain gorillas were unique among anthropoids in the high proportion of milk 20:4n-6. This seems to be unrelated to requirements of a larger brain and may instead reflect species-specific metabolic processes or an unknown source of this fatty acid in the mountain gorilla diet.

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Published In

Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology

DOI

EISSN

1879-1107

ISSN

1096-4959

Publication Date

January 2008

Volume

149

Issue

1

Start / End Page

74 / 82

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Milk
  • Hominidae
  • Female
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Fatty Acids
  • Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Animals
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
 

Citation

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MLA
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Milligan, L. A., Rapoport, S. I., Cranfield, M. R., Dittus, W., Glander, K. E., Oftedal, O. T., … Bazinet, R. P. (2008). Fatty acid composition of wild anthropoid primate milks. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 149(1), 74–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpb.2007.08.006
Milligan, Lauren A., Stanley I. Rapoport, Michael R. Cranfield, Wolfgang Dittus, Kenneth E. Glander, Olav T. Oftedal, Michael L. Power, Christopher A. Whittier, and Richard P. Bazinet. “Fatty acid composition of wild anthropoid primate milks.Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 149, no. 1 (January 2008): 74–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpb.2007.08.006.
Milligan LA, Rapoport SI, Cranfield MR, Dittus W, Glander KE, Oftedal OT, et al. Fatty acid composition of wild anthropoid primate milks. Comparative biochemistry and physiology Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology. 2008 Jan;149(1):74–82.
Milligan, Lauren A., et al. “Fatty acid composition of wild anthropoid primate milks.Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, vol. 149, no. 1, Jan. 2008, pp. 74–82. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.cbpb.2007.08.006.
Milligan LA, Rapoport SI, Cranfield MR, Dittus W, Glander KE, Oftedal OT, Power ML, Whittier CA, Bazinet RP. Fatty acid composition of wild anthropoid primate milks. Comparative biochemistry and physiology Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology. 2008 Jan;149(1):74–82.
Journal cover image

Published In

Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology

DOI

EISSN

1879-1107

ISSN

1096-4959

Publication Date

January 2008

Volume

149

Issue

1

Start / End Page

74 / 82

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Milk
  • Hominidae
  • Female
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Fatty Acids
  • Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Animals
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology