Influence of Dietary Lipids on Experimental Tuberculosis.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A study was made of the course of exptl. tuberculosis in groups of Swiss albino mice which had received non-lipid and lipid-containing rations. Coconut oil, olive oil, linseed oil and oleic acid were mixed with a non-lipid casein-supplemented ration in a concn. of 20%. After feeding each lipid-containing and the basal non-lipid ration to groups of mice for a period of 10 days, 5 animals were selected from each dietary group and the iodine and saponification values of the body fat detd. At this time the remainder of the animals in each group were inoculated intraven. with 0.5 mg. of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The animals were maintained on their respective rations for 37 days. The saponification and iodine values indicated that an increased amt. of the dietary lipids was present in the body fat. Using histological sections, wt. loss and mortality data of the animals as criteria, exptl. tuberculosis was found to be retarded in mice fed either a non-lipid case in-supplemented basal ration or the basal ration , plus coconut oil. Olive oil, linseed oil and oleic acid enhanced the progress of exptl. tuberculosis when these lipids were added to the ration.