Regulation of essential fatty acid intake in the rat: self-selection of corn oil.
The present investigation was conducted to determine if rats can recognize the essential fatty acid (EFA) in the diet. Weanling rats were pre-fed a 30% hydrogenated coconut oil (30HCO) diet containing 1% cholesterol for 2 or 4 weeks to produce EFA deficiency, then allowed to choose between the fat-free (FF) diet and the 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% corn oil diet, and between the 0.5% HCO diet and 0.5% corn oil diet. Rats pre-fed the 30HCO diet for 2 weeks selected the corn oil-containing diets for a few days at the beginning of the experiment, but the rats pre-fed for 4 weeks could not recognize the EFA-containing diet. The non pre-fed animals continued to prefer the EFA-containing diet for about 2 weeks. From these results we could demonstrate that rats have a mechanism to distinguish the EFA in their diet, but this EFA selection ability was only in the early period of the experiment, and diminished soon after.
Yamamoto
Y
Y
Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Science of Living, Osaka City University, Japan.
Muramatsu
K
K
D000818:Animals; D003314:Corn Oil / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004435:Eating; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005518:Food Preferences; D008297:Male; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D010938:Plant Oils; D003314:Corn Oil