Cholesterol-lowering potential in human subjects of fat from pigs fed rapeseed oil

The possibility of achieving blood-lipid-lowering characteristics of pig fa t by increasing the content of unsaturated fat in pig feed was evaluated. T hree pig feeding regimens were applied: basal feed (no added fat or vitamin E), basal feed + rapeseed oil (60 g/kg feed), and basal feed + rapeseed oi l (60 g/kg) + vitamin E (200 mg/kg). Meat and meat products from the three pig groups were incorporated into diets providing 86 g pig fat/10 MJ. The d iets were served to twelve healthy human male subjects for 3 weeks each in a randomised crossover design. The diets prepared from pigs fed rapeseed oi l had a lower content of saturated fatty acids (approximately 9 v. 11 % of energy) and a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (approximately 6 v. 4 % of energy) than the diet prepared from pigs fed the basal feed. Di ets based on fat from pigs fed the rapeseed oil resulted in significantly l ower (approximately 4 %, P = 0.019) total serum cholesterol concentration c ompared with the diet from pigs fed the basal feed. No differences were obs erved in LDL-, HDL- or VLDL-cholesterol, or in triacylglycerol or VLDL-tria cylglycerol concentrations. Addition of vitamin E to the pig feed resulted in only a minor increase in vitamin E content in the human subjects' diet a nd the vitamin E content was low in all three pig diets. Plasma vitamin E c oncentration in the human subjects at the end of the period with diets from pigs fed rapeseed oil without vitamin E was significantly lower (P = 0.04) than in the other two diet periods. In conclusion, an increased content of rapeseed oil in pig feed changes the fatty acid composition of the pig fat in a way that has a potential to reduce blood cholesterol concentrations i n human subjects. However, intake of pig fat with a higher content of unsat urated fatty acids needs to be matched by a higher dietary intake of vitami n E.