DIETARY MENHADEN OIL CONTRIBUTES TO HEPATIC LIPIDOSIS IN LAYING HENS

Clinical and epidemiological investigations have indicated that there may be substantial human cardiovascular benefits associated with incre ased consumption of n-3 fatty acids commonly found in fish oils. Recen t studies have indicated that egg yolk n-3 fatty acid content is signi ficantly increased when hens are fed diets enriched with selected fish oils such as menhaden oil (MO). In the present study, reproductively active females but not males exhibited increased hepatic lipidosis fol lowing 6 mo of feeding 3% MO. Hens fed 3% animal-vegetable oil (AV) di d not exhibit hepatic lipid accumulation. Serum triglyceride and chole sterol concentrations were reduced (P less-than-or-equal-to .05) in he ns fed MO. Subsequently, yolk and total egg weights of hens fed MO wer e decreased as compared with those of hens fed AV. A significant inter action of dietary MO and exogenous 17beta-estradiol was noted among ch ick liver and gallbladder weights. These data suggest that dietary MO and estradiol may interact in a manner that enhances the lipogenic act ivity of the liver, thereby inducing hepatic lipidosis in laying hens.