INFLUENCE OF CHRONIC CONSUMPTION OF THERMOXIDIZED AND FRESH PALM OIL DIETS ON BASAL METABOLIC-RATE, BODY-WEIGHT AND MORPHOLOGY OF TISSUES IN RATS

The effect of chronic consumption of thermoxidized and fresh palm oil diets on basal metabolic rate, body weight and morphology of some tiss ues in rats was studied. Three groups of albino rats (Wistar strain) w ere fed on thermoxidized palm oil, fresh palm oil and control rat diet s respectively. All the rats were fed nd libitum for fourteen weeks. E ach of the palm oil diets contained 15% (W/W) thermoxidized or fresh p alm oil. Basal metabolic rates were 1.82 +/- 0.09 mlh(-1) g(-1) (means +/- SD) for rats fed on thermoxidized palm oil diet; 1.57 +/- 0.14 mi hr(-1)g(-1) for rats fed fresh palm oil diet and 1.50 +/- 0.17 mi hr( -1)g(-1) for rats fed on the control diet. These values were statistic ally different (P<0.01) from each other. Thermoxidized palm oil diet a lso caused a decrease in body weight in rats when compared to those fe d on fresh palm oil and control diets (P<0.01). There was however, no significant difference in body weight between rats fed on fresh palm o il and control diets respectively. Thermoxidized palm oil diet caused tissue damage to the lung, liver and kidney while fresh palm oil diet only caused mild hyperlasia of the lymphoid follicles of the bronchial walls in the lungs when compared to the control. The chronic consumpt ion of thermoxidized palm oil diet is more dangerous to health than co nsumption of fresh palm oil diet.