Effect of red palm olein on bone tissue fatty acid composition and histomorphometric parameters

The effect of red palm olein on bone metabolism was investigated in growing rats. Fifty weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to fi ve groups and fed ad libitum the following diets: Reference diet, 70 g soyb ean oil/kg diet; Red-35, 35 g red palm olein + 35 g soybean oil/kg diet; Re d-50, 50 g red palm olein + 20 g soybean oil/kg diet; RPO-35, 35 g refined palm oil + 35 g soybean oil/kg diet; RPO-50, 50 g refined palm oil + 20 g s oybean oil/kg diet. Rat growth was not affected by the dietary lipid treatm ents after 42 d of feeding. Rats demonstrated significant differences in ti ssue fatty acid composition that reflected the dietary lipid treatments. Th e concentrations of saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids w ere higher but polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) lower in tibia marrow of rats given the palm oil treatments compared with those given soybean oil. T he reduction in total n-6 PUFA concentration in bone of rats given palm oil was associated with higher bone specific alkaline phosphatase activity and endosteal mineral apposition rate and bone formation rate in tibia, No dif ference was found in ex vivo PGE(2) production in femur from rats. The hist omorphometric analyses indicated that red palm olein might support bone for mation and bone modeling in growing rats. Palm oil or palm antioxidants may play a role in bone formation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights r eserved.