Sunardi Diana, Fard Samaneh G, Ratih Mia Puspita, Herawati Aprilia, Elliott Glenn, Sinclair Andrew J
Department of Nutrition Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia-Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital Jakarta Pusat Indonesia.
Nu-Mega Ingredients Pty Ltd. Brisbane Australia.
Food Sci Nutr. 2025 Sep 5;13(9):e70838. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.70838. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for brain and cognitive development in toddlers; however, global intakes often fall below recommended levels. This study evaluated the bioavailability of DHA from commercial toddler formulas fortified with either microencapsulated high-DHA fish oil powder or high-DHA fish oil. A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted in 120 healthy Indonesian toddlers aged 2-3 years. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: (A) dry-blended formula with microencapsulated high-DHA fish oil powder, (B) unfortified control formula, or (C) wet-mixed high-DHA fish oil formula. Bioavailability was assessed using both blood and fecal fatty acid levels. Both DHA-fortified formulas increased blood DHA levels, total omega-3 fatty acids, and the Omega-3 Index. However, only the microencapsulated DHA formula led to statistically significant improvements compared with the control. Apparent DHA digestibility and the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for blood DHA were significantly higher in the microencapsulated DHA formula group compared with the high-DHA fish oil formula group. Adherence and intake were also highest in the microencapsulated group, possibly due to improved palatability, although sensory characteristics were not directly assessed. While improvements in DHA status were statistically significant, the overall magnitude of change was modest, and its clinical significance remains uncertain. Nonetheless, microencapsulation may offer advantages for enhancing DHA bioavailability in young children. Higher DHA dosages or longer intake durations may be needed to achieve Omega-3 Index levels exceeding 8% in populations with low baseline status.
二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）对幼儿的大脑和认知发育至关重要；然而，全球摄入量往往低于推荐水平。本研究评估了添加微囊化高DHA鱼油粉或高DHA鱼油的市售幼儿配方奶粉中DHA的生物利用度。在120名2至3岁的健康印度尼西亚幼儿中进行了一项双盲、随机对照试验。参与者被分配到三组中的一组：（A）添加微囊化高DHA鱼油粉的干混配方奶粉，（B）未强化的对照配方奶粉，或（C）湿混高DHA鱼油配方奶粉。使用血液和粪便脂肪酸水平评估生物利用度。两种强化DHA的配方奶粉均提高了血液DHA水平、总ω-3脂肪酸和ω-3指数。然而，与对照组相比，只有微囊化DHA配方奶粉带来了具有统计学意义的改善。与高DHA鱼油配方奶粉组相比，微囊化DHA配方奶粉组的表观DHA消化率和血液DHA的曲线下增量面积（iAUC）显著更高。微囊化组的依从性和摄入量也最高，这可能是由于适口性改善，尽管未直接评估感官特性。虽然DHA状态的改善具有统计学意义，但总体变化幅度不大，其临床意义仍不确定。尽管如此，微囊化可能在提高幼儿DHA生物利用度方面具有优势。对于基线状态较低的人群，可能需要更高的DHA剂量或更长的摄入时间才能使ω-3指数水平超过8%。
