Metabolic effects of coconut, safflower, or menhaden oil feeding in lean and obese Zucker rats

Sep 1, 1991The British journal of nutrition

Metabolic effects of coconut, safflower, and fish oils in lean and obese rats

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Abstract

Obese menhaden oil rats had lower food intakes and body weights compared to obese coconut and safflower oil groups.

Consumption of menhaden oil resulted in lower serum cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels in obese rats compared to those on coconut and safflower oils.
Liver weights were higher in obese rats than in lean rats, but menhaden oil rats had higher liver weights on a percentage body-weight basis.
Glucose and insulin levels were highest in safflower oil rats, followed by coconut oil and then menhaden oil rats.
Menhaden oil feeding was associated with lower activities of certain liver enzymes involved in fat and sugar metabolism.
The findings suggest that obese Zucker rats may respond similarly to fish oil as humans do, indicating potential metabolic effects.

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The aim of the present investigation was to study the effects of fish oil feeding in obese Zucker rats to establish its suitability as an animal model of hyperlipidaemia, and to understand the possible mechanism of fish oil-induced perturbations in cell metabolism. Lean and obese Zucker rats were fed on diets containing 180 g coconut, safflower, or menhaden oil/kg for 10 weeks. Body-weights and food intakes of lean coconut (LC), safflower (LS), and menhaden (LM) groups were similar. Obese menhaden (OM) rats had lower food intakes and body-weights compared with obese coconut (OC) and obese safflower (OS) groups, but values for all obese rats were higher than those for lean rats. Liver weights were higher in obese compared with lean rats, but on a percentage body-weight basis menhaden oil rats had higher values within genotype. Serum cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels were lower in the OM group compared with the OC and OS groups, and in the LM group compared with the LC group. Glucose and insulin levels were highest in OS rats followed by OC and OM rats and then the lean rats. Serum triiodothyronine and thyroxine were lower in OM rats compared with OC and OS rats. Liver mitochondrial state 3 rates with glutamate-malate and succinate were lower; mitochondrial beta-oxidation was unaffected and peroxisomal beta-oxidation was higher in menhaden oil rats compared with both coconut and safflower oil rats. In general, consumption of menhaden oil lowered hepatic malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.38, 1.1.1.40), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) and glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9) activities and elevated long-chain fatty acyl-CoA hydrolase (EC 3.1.2.2) activity when compared with the two other diets. It is concluded that obese Zucker rats do respond like human subjects to fish oil feeding but not to vegetable oils. The hypolipidaemic effect of fish oil appears to be mediated through a lowering of lipogenic enzymes, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme.

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Metabolic effects of coconut, safflower, or menhaden oil feeding in lean and obese Zucker rats

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