Interaction Between Marginal Zinc and High Fat Supply on Lipid Metabolism and Growth of Weanling Rats

The impact of a moderate Zn deficiency on growth and plasma and liver lipids was investigated in two 4-week experiments with male weanling rats fed fat-enriched diets. Semisynthetic, approximately isocaloric diets containing 3% soybean oil were supplemented with either 7 or 100 mg Zn/kg diet and with 22% beef tallow (BT) or sunflower oil (SF). In Experiment 1, which compared the dietary fat level and the fat source in a factorial design of treatments, all diets were fed ad libitum to 6 × 8 animals, whereas intake of the high-Zn BT and SF diets was restricted in Experiment 2 (5 × 6 rats) to the level of intake of the respective low-Zn diets. The low-Zn SF diet consistently depressed food intake and final live weights of the animals to a greater extent than the other low-Zn diets, while intake and growth were comparable among the animals fed the high-Zn diets. The marginal Zn deficit per se did not alter plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations nor hepatic concentrations of triglyceride, cholesterol and phospholipids. The fatty acid pattern of liver phospholipids did not indicate that chain elongation and desaturation of fatty acids was impaired by a lack of zinc. It was concluded that dietary energy and fat intake, and fat source have a greater effect on plasma and liver lipids than a moderate Zn deficiency. Marginally Zn-deficient diets enriched with sunflower oil as a major energy source cause a greater growth retardation than diets rich in carbohydrates or beef tallow

Metabolic Effects of n-3 PUFA as Phospholipids Are Superior to Triglycerides in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet: Possible Role of Endocannabinoids

Background n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and can ameliorate many of obesity-associated disorders. We hypothesised that the latter effect will be more pronounced when DHA/EPA is supplemented as phospholipids rather than as triglycerides. Methodology/Principal Findings In a ‘prevention study’, C57BL/6J mice were fed for 9 weeks on either a corn oil-based high-fat obesogenic diet (cHF; lipids ~35% wt/wt), or cHF-based diets in which corn oil was partially replaced by DHA/EPA, admixed either as phospholipids or triglycerides from marine fish. The reversal of obesity was studied in mice subjected to the preceding cHF-feeding for 4 months. DHA/EPA administered as phospholipids prevented glucose intolerance and tended to reduce obesity better than triglycerides. Lipemia and hepatosteatosis were suppressed more in response to dietary phospholipids, in correlation with better bioavailability of DHA and EPA, and a higher DHA accumulation in the liver, white adipose tissue (WAT), and muscle phospholipids. In dietary obese mice, both DHA/EPA concentrates prevented a further weight gain, reduced plasma lipid levels to a similar extent, and tended to improve glucose tolerance. Importantly, only the phospholipid form reduced plasma insulin and adipocyte hypertrophy, while being more effective in reducing hepatic steatosis and low-grade inflammation of WAT. These beneficial effects were correlated with changes of endocannabinoid metabolome in WAT, where phospholipids reduced 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and were more effective in increasing anti-inflammatory lipids such as N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine. Conclusions/Significance Compared with triglycerides, dietary DHA/EPA administered as phospholipids are superior in preserving a healthy metabolic profile under obesogenic conditions, possibly reflecting better bioavalability and improved modulation of the endocannabinoid system activity in WA

Suplementação de ácidos graxos ômega 3 em atletas de competição: impacto nos mediadores bioquímicos relacionados com o metabolismo lipídico Adición de ácidos grasos omega 3 en atletas de competición: impacto en los mediadores bioquímicos relacionados con el metabolismo lipídico Omega 3 fatty acids-supplementation to competition athletes: impact on the biochemical indicators related to the lipid metabolism

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o efeito da suplementação dos ácidos graxos ômega 3 em atletas de natação sobre indicadores bioquímicos. MÉTODOS: Nadadores de elite (n = 14) do sexo masculino foram avaliados em estudo randomizado, controlado por placebo pelo período de seis semanas (45 dias). O grupo placebo (GP) recebeu óleo mineral (n = 6) e o grupo suplementado (n = 8), óleo de peixe (GOP) contendo, no total, 950mg de ácido eicosapentaenóico e 500mg de ácido docosapentaenóico. Amostras de sangue foram coletadas imediatamente antes (T0), aos 15 (T15), aos 30 (T30) e aos 45 (T45) dias de suplementação para análise da composição dos ácidos graxos por cromatografia gasosa e para quantificação das lipoproteínas plasmáticas através de kits comerciais específicos. RESULTADOS: Os resultados revelaram um desajuste na dieta dos atletas considerando a ingestão g/kg de massa corporal dos macronutrientes. A análise do questionário de freqüência de consumo mostrou que os atletas não ingeriram regularmente fontes alimentares de ômega 3 e que o consumo de peixes, em 85% da amostra, era inferior ou igual a uma vez na semana. O perfil de ácidos graxos plasmáticos evidenciou aumento dos ácidos graxos poliinsaturados ômega 3 (P < 0,05) e redução do ácido araquidônico no grupo suplementado (P < 0,05). A suplementação com óleo de peixe ocasionou efeito hipocolesterolêmico, com redução nos teores sanguíneos de VLDL, LDL e colesterol total. Os valores de HDL não apresentaram diferenças significativas entre os grupos em nenhum momento estudado (P > 0,05). CONCLUSÃO: A suplementação de ácidos graxos N-3 em atletas nadadores altera os indicadores bioquímicos do metabolismo lipídico, influenciando na redução das lipoproteínas plasmáticas, ricas em colesterol e na prevenção de doenças cardiovasculares.<br>OBJETIVO: Evaluar el efecto suplementar de los ácidos grasos omega 3 en atletas de natación sobre indicadores bioquímicos. MÉTODOS: Nadadores de elite (n = 14) del sexo masculino fueron evaluados en estudio aleatorio, controlado por placebo por un período de 6 semanas (45 días). El grupo placebo (GP) recibió aceite mineral (n = 6) y el grupo suplementado (n = 8) recibió aceite de pescado (GOP) conteniendo en total 950 mg de ácido eicosapentaenóico y 500 mg de ácido docosapentaenóico. Muestras de sangre fueron colectadas inmediatamente antes (T0), a los quince (T15), a los treinta (T30) y a los cuarenta y cinco (T45) días de suplementación para análisis de la composición de los ácidos grasos por cromatografía gaseosa y para cuantificación de las lipoproteínas plasmáticas a través de kits comerciales específicos. RESULTADOS: Los resultados revelaron un desajuste en la dieta de los atletas considerando la ingestión g/kg de masa corporal de los macro nutrientes. El análisis del cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo mostró que los atletas no ingirieron regularmente fuentes alimentares de omega 3 y que el consumo de pescado, en 85% de la muestra, era inferior o igual a 1 vez por semana. El perfil de ácidos grasos plasmáticos mostró un aumento de los ácidos grasos poliinsaturados omega 3 (P < 0,05) y reducción del ácido araquidónico en el grupo suplementado (P < 0,05). La suplementación con aceite de pescado ocasionó efecto hipocolesterolémico, con reducción en los grados sanguíneos de VLDL, LDL y colesterol total. Los valores de HDL no presentaron diferencias significativas entre los grupos en ningún momento estudiado (P > 0,05). CONCLUSIÓN: La suplementación de ácidos grasos N-3 en atletas de natación altera los indicadores bioquímicos del metabolismo lipídico, influyendo en la reducción de las lipoproteínas plasmáticas, ricas en colesterol y en la prevención de enfermedades cardiovasculares.<br>PURPOSE: To assess the effects of omega 3 fatty acid supplementation to swimmers on biochemical indicators. METHODS: Male elite swimmers (n = 14) were assessed in a placebo-controlled randomized study over a 6-week (45-day) experimental period. The placebo group (GP) received mineral oil (n = 6) and the supplemented group (GOP) received fish oil (n = 8) containing a total of 950 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid and 500 mg of docosapentaenoic acid. Immediately before starting the supplementation (T0), as well as 15 (T15), 30 (T30) and 45 (T45) days after that point, blood samples were collected and analyzed by gas chromatography for fatty acids composition, and by specific commercial kits for plasmatic lipoproteins. RESULTS: The results showed that the diets of the swimmers were unbalanced regarding the macronutrient ingestion/body weight ratio (g/kg). The analysis of the consumption frequency questionnaire showed that (1) the swimmers have not regularly ingested omega 3 dietary sources and (2) the fish consumption was below once a week for 85% of the sample. The plasmatic fatty acids profile presented an increase in omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.05) and decrease in arachidonic fatty acid in the supplemented group (p < 0.05). The fish oil supplementation led to a hypocholesterolemic effect, with a decrease in VLDL, LDL and total cholesterol blood levels. The HDL levels presented no significant differences between the groups in any moment of the study (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: N-3 fatty acids supplementation to swimmers alters the biochemical indicators of the lipid metabolism, with an influence in the decrease of the cholesterol-rich plasmatic lipoproteins, so preventing cardiovascular diseases