Effects of milk fat, unhydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils on fat metabolism of growing pigs: II. Changes in serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels

Authors

• Asmo Kemppinen Department of Food Technology/Dairy Science, P.O. Box 27 (Viikki B), FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
• Matti Jauhiainen National Public Health Institute, Departments of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300 Helsinki, Finland
• Veikko Kankare Agricultural Research Centre of Finland, Food Research Institute, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
• Jarmo Valaja Agricultural Research Centre of Finland, Swine Research Station, FIN-05840 Hyvinkää, Finland
• Timo Alaviuhkola Agricultural Research Centre of Finland, Swine Research Station, FIN-05840 Hyvinkää, Finland
• Antti Aro National Public Health Institute, Departments of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300 Helsinki, Finland
• Pirkko Antila Department of Food Technology/Dairy Science, P.O. Box 27 (Viikki B), FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.72636

Abstract

Fifty mainly crossbred growing pigs were fed diets composed of a basal feed (2% fat) and supplemented 30% gross energy in the form of butter oil, cream, low erucic acid rapeseed oil (LEAR), sunflower oil or partially hydrogenated sunflower oil for 88 days in order to evaluate the effects of different food fats on their serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The levels of serum total cholesterol in the animals fed butter oil (3.47 mmol/l) and cream (3.48 mmol/l) were significantly (p<0.001) higher than those in the animals given rapeseed oil (2.97 mmol/l), sunflower oil (2.97 mmol/l) and hydrogenated sunflower oil (2.91 mmol/l). The high concentration of trans fatty acids (36,5%) in the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil had no influence on the cholesterol levels in comparison to the unhydrogenated vegetable oils. The results seem to confirm that dietary trans fatty acids only have a slight effect on serum cholesterol values when the dietarycholesterol concentration is low. The observed changes between the present dietary treatments were probably due to the different fatty acid compositions of the feed fats used and, partly, due to the different cholesterol levels of the diets.