Elvira Pilar Sanchez-Samper

Fatty acids in baby food Elvira Pilar Sanchez-Samper

In recent decades, several studies have tested the hypothesis that, in early stages of development, certain foods or nutrients in specific amounts, supplied during specific sensitive periods, can determine a metabolic-endocrine asset that leads to clinical alterations that manifest decades later. This is what is currently known as "nutritional programming", which feeds obesity and its comorbidities. In this sense, nutrition during the infant stage plays a fundamental role and the fatty acid composition of the different infant foods, of the "baby food" type that can be found on the market, must be taken into consideration. This book introduces the reader to the concepts of early nutrition programming, infant foods and obesity, dealing in depth with the hepatic metabolism of fatty acids and its implications in nutritional programming and intestinal microbiota.