Effect of Dietary Oleates on Lymph Lipids in the Young Bovine

Abstract

The effect of feeding mono-, di-, and triolein and oleic acid with skimmilk on thoracic duct lymph flow and lipid composition was studied in dairy calves. Administration of either reconstituted skimmilk only (aqueous dispersion containing 20% nonfat milk solids) or reconstituted skimmilk plus any of the lipids increased the flow rate of lymph in the thoracic duct. The concentration of lipid in the lymph and the amount of lipid transported per hour increased significantly by 2 to 5 hours after the lipids were fed; feeding only reconstituted skimmilk did not alter the lipid concentration in the lymph. Feeding of each test lipid also caused about a 2-fold increase of the proportion of oleic acid in the triglycerides of the lymph lipids. This elevation of oleic acid and the concomitant decrease of the other fatty acids occurred less rapidly after the monoolein feeding than when other lipids were fed. Free fatty acids and cholesterol esters in the lymph were altered only slightly, suggesting that most of the oleic acid in the dietary lipids was incorporated into triglycerides.