Biochemical and Histological Effects of Feeding Thermally Oxidized Rapeseed Oil and Lard to Rats

    January 1977 in “ PubMed ”
    H.G. Gabriel, J.C. Alexander, V. E. Valli
    TLDR Feeding rats oxidized rapeseed oil and lard caused weight loss, organ damage, and toxicity symptoms.
    In this study, four groups of weanling rats were fed diets with 15% dietary fats for 28 days to assess the effects of thermally oxidized low-erucic acid rapeseed oil (OLE) and lard (OLA) compared to fresh fats. While feed consumption and efficiency were unaffected, final body weights were reduced in the OLA group. Both OLE and OLA increased relative heart weights and total lipids, and most rats showed symptoms of heated fat toxicity, including seborrhea, diarrhea, polyuria, and excessive hair loss. OLA primarily affected polar liver lipids, while OLE caused significant changes in heart and liver lipids. Histological analysis revealed that OLA was particularly harmful to kidneys, whereas OLE caused more damage to hearts and livers.
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