Effects of Dietary Oils with Different n-3 Fatty Acid Sources and n-3/n-6 Ratios on Lipid Metabolism of Rats Fed on a High Cholesterol Diet

Abstract

Dietary oils with a definite P/S ratio and different n-3/n-6 ratios (n-3 sources : α-LnA and EPA) were given to hypercholesterolemic rats for two weeks. Total cholesterol and phospholipids in serum decreased significantly in rats given α-LnA when the n-3/n-6 ratio was 0.1 or higher and in rats given EPA when the ratio was 0.05 or higher. But serum triacylglycerols decreased significantly only in the EPA group when the n-3/n-6 ratio was 0.2. Hardly any significant changes were observed in either group in the concentrations of liver lipids or neutral sterols and bile acids in feces. A significant increase of lipid peroxide concentrations was observed only in the liver of the EPA group when the n-3/n-6 ratio was 0.2. These results show that in rats fed on high cholesterol diets, the n-3/n-6 ratio of the dietary oil should be 0.1 when the P/S ratio is 1 and EPA is used as the n-3 source in view of significant decreases of serum TC and TG and suppression of the liver LPO formation.