Hydrogenated Coconut Oil and Tissue Fatty Acids in EFA-depleted and EFA-supplemented Rats

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Abstract
To study effects of high levels (25%) of hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO) on tissue EFA levels during development of EFA deficiency, male weanling rats were fed the following EFA-deficient diets: 0 fat-20% casein; 25% HCO-20% casein; 25% HCO-26% casein. The EFA-deficient diets containing HCO produced more severe growth retardation and skin symptoms after 4 weeks than did the fat-free diet. However, liver, heart and carcass levels of linoleate, arachidonate and eicosatrienoate with the HCO diets did not differ from levels with the fat-free diet. Thus, more severe external symptoms of EFA deficiency at 4 weeks could not be related to greater alterations in EFA levels. After 8 weeks, when the deficient groups fed HCO were in poor condition, tissue EFA levels were somewhat lower than with the fat-free group, but these differences were not statistically significant except for liver arachidonate (wt%) in the 25% HCO-26% casein group (0.02 < P < 0.05). Groups fed 5% corn oil-20% casein, 5% corn oil-20% HCO-20% casein, or 5% corn oil-20% HCO-26% casein diets grew equally well. In all groups fed HCO, carcass laurate plus myristate (wt%) was high (ca. 25%), and long-chain unsaturated fatty acids decreased. Laurate plus myristate in liver and heart fatty acids remained low (under 6%). Liver glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and fatty acid synthetase activities were higher in the deficient groups fed HCO than in the groups fed corn oil plus HCO.