EFFECT OF TRISTEARIN AND OTHER FUNCTIONAL FATS ON BLOOD-LIPIDS IN HAMSTERS

Groups of hamsters were fed diets containing tristearin (TS), a baker' s shortening (BS), soybean oil (SO), a blend (BL) of TS and SO, or a h ard fat (HF). Only BS contained trans fatty acids. After four weeks, s erum total cholesterol (T-CH) levels were most elevated in hamsters fe d HF. In comparison, hamsters fed BS, BL, or SO showed 13.3, 15.4, or 23.7% reduction in serum T-CH, respectively. Reduction in serum T-CH w as even more pronounced in hamsters fed TS. However, this group also s howed poor weight gains, apparently because only 16.2% of ingested TS was absorbed. Reduction in T-CH occurred due to reduction of both high -density-lipoprotein (HDL)-CH and non-HDL-CH, but the pattern of reduc tions still favored lower T-CH-to-HDL-CH ratios. Like T-CH, serum TG l evels were also most elevated in hamsters fed HF with other groups sho wing significant reductions. Liver CH responses did not conform to res ponses observed for serum CH and TG levels. Tested in selected baked p roducts prepared in-house, blended fat (BL) was found as functional as regular BS, and it contained no trans fatty acids.