Article about Vegetable Oils

Effects of saturated and unsaturated fats with vitamin E supplementation on the antioxidant status of broiler chicken tissues.

(Wikipedia Definition: TBARS is the abbreviation for ThioBarbituric Acid Reactive Substances, harmful substances formed by lipid peroxidation, e.g. as degradation products of fats in foodstuff, and detected by the TBARS assay, using thiobarbituric acid as a reagent.)
Husvéth F, Manilla HA, Gaál T, Vajdovich P, Balogh N, Wágner L, Lóth I, Németh K.
Department of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Georgikon Faculty, Pannon University of Agricultural Sciences, H-8360 Keszthely, Deák F. u. 16, Hungary. h5544hus@ella.hu
Abstract
The influence of fish oil (highly unsaturated) and beef tallow (highly saturated) with vitamin E (100 IU/kg) supplementation on the antioxidant status of broiler chicken cockerels was investigated. Chicks were fed a control diet with no added fat, 40 g/kg each of fish oil and beef tallow diets, respectively, from 11 to 42 days of age. Tocopherol concentration and the rate of lipid peroxidation, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) in liver, fatty acid composition of the liver lipids, blood serum total antioxidant status (TAS), and reduced glutathione (GSH) content were determined.
Vitamin E supplementation of the diet increased liver alpha-tocopherol content in chicks regardless of the type of dietary fat.
Fish oil diet resulted in higher liver TBARS value while beef tallow diet showed lower values compared to the control diet. (the highly unsaturated fats in fish oil are more susceptible to oxidation than the saturated fats contained in beef tallow)
Vitamin E supplementation reduced liver TBARS as well as serum GSH, and raised serum TAS for all diets. (Vitamin E supplementation counteracts the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids)
Serum GSH was the same for vitamin E supplemented diets regardless of the fat supplement. Fish oil diets resulted in a significant increase in hepatic lipid n-3 PUFA content. A significant positive correlation was found between liver TBARS and n-3 PUFA content. No relationships were established, however, between liver TBARS and n-6 PUFA or saturated fatty acids. The results suggest that feeding oils rich in n-3 PUFA increases tissue concentration of these fatty acids, consequently increasing tissue lipid peroxidation and reducing the antioxidative status of broiler chickens. Supplementing high levels of vitamin E with such oils may increase tissue oxidative stability. Serum TAS or GSH may be used as a measure of antioxidative status in chickens.

mphatesmpb wrote:CS,

I've read articles about acne vulgaris (a disorder with an etiology very similar to that of AGA) which claim that saturated fats increase sebum production. Shouldn't I be more cautious about emphasizing saturated fats over unsaturated fats?

-mp

mphatesmpb wrote:http://www.thescreamonline.com/essays/essays5-1/vegoil.html

This article turned my stomach. I'd appreciate if someone with thorough knowledge of this topic could give an explanation of how this question of saturated vs. unsaturated oils pertains to hair loss. what I understand at this point is this: unsaturated fats contain long-chain fatty acids which are unstable. These acids rapidly oxidized within the body and contribute to inflammatory diseases. It makes sense.

What oil do you guys use in your cooking? I'm going to be more vigilant about what kind of oils are used in the food I eat from now on.

Although polyunsaturated fats protect against cardiovascular disease by providing more membrane fluidity than monounsaturated fats, they are more vulnerable to lipid peroxidation (rancidity). On the other hand, some monounsaturated fatty acids (in the same way as saturated fats) promote insulin resistance, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids are protective against insulin resistance.[1][2] In contrast to this, the large scale KANWU study found that neither dietary monounsaturated or supplemented polyunsaturated fats (in the form of fish oil) affected insulin sensitivity while increased consumption of saturated fat significantly decreased insulin sensitivity.[3]

Foods containing monounsaturated fats reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, while possibly increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.[4] However, their true ability to raise HDL is still in debate.