Abstract
In order to clarify the mechanism of the adverse effects of air-oxidized oil feeding, the effects of dietary soy bean oil on body weight gain, food consumption, fecal consistency and gastrointestinal functions were investigated inrats. Feeding of oxidized soy bean oil with a peroxide value above 350 produced significant reductions in body weight gain, food consumption and intestinal sucrase activity, and severe diarrhea. These adverse effects were prevented with the concurrent feeding of Gobo dietary fiber and were rapidly eliminated within a day after switching to the diet containing the unoxidized soy bean oil. Furthermore, the remarkable release of sucrase from the small intestine was observed on perfusion of the jejunum with Ringer's bicarbonate solution containing the oxidized soy bean oil at the 1% level. These findings suggest that the adverse effects occurring after air-oxidized oil feeding are due to a disturbance of gastrointestinal functions, and raise the possibility that the primary cause might be solubilization or exfoliation of the brush border membrane.
