Effect of exercise on the lipid content, lipid fatty acid composition and morphology of myocardial and skeletal muscles in rat.

The effect of exercise on the morphology of the myocardial and skeletal muscle, total lipid content and lipid fatty acid composition was checked in rats fed a rapeseed oil-containing diet. The graded exercise was found to reduce the growth rate of animals. Myocardial fatty degeneration was less intense and erucic acid content lower in trained rats fed a diet with 50% kcal of rapessed oil than the untrained ones. The opposite was true when rapeseed oil supplied 30% of calories. Histiocytic granulomata were more numerous in trained rats. Exercise failed to affect the accumulation of erucic acid in skeletal muscle.