Effect of dietary fats and fatty acid on liver lipid accumulation in rats fed low protein diets.

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate influences of dif ferent dietary fats and fatty acid on the lipid accumulation in the liver of growing rats fed low protein diets containing purified whole egg pro tein at 5 protein calories percent (PC%). Rats were fed for 2 (experi ment 1) or 3 (experiment 2) weeks. In experiment 1, rats fed low protein diets with 0.1% soybean oil accumulated more lipids in the liver than those fed a control (20 PC%) diet with 10% soybean oil. The excess accumulation of lipids tended to be inhibited by the further addition of 9.9% soybean oil and was inhibited by 9.9% linoleic acid. In experi ment 2, the lipid content in the liver of rats fed the low protein diet with 9.9% lard was lowered by substituting 9.9% soybean oil, safflower oil and linoleic acid for lard. However, even rats fed the low protein diet with linoleic acid accumulated still more lipids in the liver than those fed the control diet. Furthermore, the liver lipid level in rats fed low protein diets with 20% soybean oil was almost the same to that in rats fed the low protein diet with 10% soybean oil. From these results, the mecha nism of lipid accumulation in liver of the rat fed low protein diet was discussed.