CHANGES IN THE FATTY-ACID PROFILE OF PLASMA AND ADIPOSE-TISSUE IN RATS AFTER LONG-TERM ETHANOL FEEDING

The effect of chronic ethanol feeding on the fatty acid composition of plasma and abdominal adipose tissue in rats was studied. Animals were maintained on a 30% ethanol solution in drinking water for 3 and 5 mo nths. Control rats were given water. Caloric intake was similar in con trol and ethanol-fed rats at the end of the experimental period. Howev er, a decrease in body weight was observed in rats that had consumed e thanol. Palmitoleic (16:1n7) and oleic (18:1n9) acids increased marked ly, and linoleic acid (18:2n6) decreased in the plasma and in the adip ose tissue of ethanol-fed rats with respect to control rats. After 3 m onths of ethanol ingestion, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids wer e reduced both in plasma and adipose tissue. When ethanol was administ ered for 5 months, only plasma long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 series were decreased. This suggest that changes induced by ethanol ingestion in essential fatty acid metabolism is less pronounc ed when ethanol feeding is maintained for a long period of time.