RESEARCH ARTICLE

Journal of Oil Palm Research Vol. 5 No. 2 1993 Dec, p. 115-121

EFFECT OF TRANS FATTY ACIDS ON PLASMA LIPID AND LIPOPROTEIN LEVELS IN CYNOMOLGUS MONKEYS

KALANITHI Nesaretnam* ; HAYES, K C **; KALYANA Sundram*

Received: 17 February 1993   Accepted: 17 August 1993  
ABSTRACT

Nine cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were fed a purified diet containing 30 en % as cococut oil for three months and then rotated through three different cholesterol-free purified diets in which 30% energy was derived from fat. The dietary fats used were partially hydrogenated soyabean oil rich in trans-fatty acids (PHSBO), palm olein (Poo) and an American Heart Association (AHA) Step I fat blend. Total cholesterol and LDL-C increased significantly (P<0.02) when the monkeys were fed the PHSBO diet as compared with the AHA diet. No significant differences in TC or LDL-C were seen as between the POo and AHA diets.

To evaluate the effect of limited linoleic acid in the PHSBO diet, the monkeys were again fed PHSBO, but blended with safflowerseed oil (SFO) to provide linoleic acid at 3.72 en per cent. Cholesterol levels decreased substantially by comparison with the coconut oil (CNO) and PHSBO diets, suggesting that inadequate 18:2 intake was an important factor in the hypercholesterolemia induced in these monkeys.

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* Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia,
P O Box 10620,
50720 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

** Brandeis University,
U.S.A.