P. Mani et al., EFFECTS OF A TRISTEARATE-CONTAINING LIPID AND CANOLA OIL ON PLASMA AND TISSUE-LIPIDS IN RATS, Plant foods for human nutrition, 45(3), 1994, pp. 203-212
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed semipurified diets containing 12% fa
t and 0.4% cholesterol for 4 wk. The fats were palm oil, a high-steara
te fat and canola oil; each of the latter two fat sources was substitu
ted for palm oil in 4% (w/w) increments (i.e, 4, 8 and 12%) thus yield
ing 3 stearate-containing, 3 canola-containing, and a 12% palm oil die
t. Stearate-fed animals exhibited significantly decreased food efficie
ncy ratios, plasma total cholesterol, and liver cholesterol whereas th
e substitution of canola for palm oil did not consistently alter these
parameters. Liver fatty acids generally reflected the composition of
the dietary fat sources with the exception of significantly higher ara
chidonate observed in the stearate-fed rats.