COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT DIETARY OMEGA- FATTY ACIDS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND SERUM LIPID COMPOSITION IN RATS

Comparitive effects of different dietary omega fatty acids on growth performance and serum lipids composition in rats were investigated using male weaning albino rats (120 rats) fed for two weeks a semipurified diet (basal diet) before being fed the experimental diets. The rats were randomly divided into eight groups of 1٥ rats each. Each group of rats was fed a single experimental dietary oil or an oils mixture as the sole source of fat for three months. Growth performance; composition of serum lipoprotein; and fatty acids composition of serums of rats were investigated. Results revealed that the growth performance of rats was improved when rats fed on flaxseed oil (FO) high in (omega-3) fatty acids followed by corn oil (CO) high in (omega-٦) fatty acids; oilve oil (OO) high in (omega-9) fatty acids; and finally palm oil (PO) high in saturated fatty acids, respectively. Serum lipids of rats fed the dietary PO showed the highest total lipids (TL), while those fed (FO) showed the lowest. Total cholesterol (TC) contents increased as the dietary oils increased in the degree of saturation. Rats fed PO showed the highest TC content. However, data showed no clear differences in TC among rats fed dietary FO; CO; and OO. Nevertheless, they were less than those found with dietary PO. CO was less effective, to some extent, when incoperated with OO than incoperated of FO with OO . Feeding rats on the dietary mixture of FO/CO/OO (1:1:1) further decreased the TC content. High denesity lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) showed the same trend as for triglycerides TG and TC. Feeding rats FO showed the highest HDL-C representing ٥2٫٥7٪ of the TC content. Dietary PO (saturated), on the other hand, showed the lowest HDL-C representing 13٫39٪ of the TC content. Data revealed that the fatty acids composition of the serum lipids were markedly affected according to the type of dietary oil used.