[Physiological effects of diet enriched in essential fatty acids in young men]. / Effets physiologiques de l'alimentation enrichie en acides gras essentiels chez le jeune homme.

The investigations were carried out on healthy young males aged 20-21 years. Those young men, whose previously different diets were determined by the dietary habits of their families, were selected and grouped under uniform conditions (feeding, housing, physical activity). After 4 months staying under these uniform conditions their diet was changed adding E.F.A. to their previous food rations. Food rations enriched with E.F.A. were given to these young males for 3 months. Then E.F.A. additions to the diet was stopped and the observed subjects received food rations, identical as during the initial 4-month period prior to E.F.A. enrichment, these rations were given during 5 months. Immediately after grouping these men were subjected to biochemical investigation of the serum and to anthropometric and general medical examinations (examination I). The subsequent examinations (II, III, IV) were carried out while the subjects were living under uniform conditions: II) after 4 months on the diet without E.F.A. enrichment, III) after 3 months on the diet enriched with E.F.A., and IV) after 5 months of diet without E.F.A. enrichment (after withdrawal of additional E.F.A.). The investigations were begun on 97 young males (examination I). The consecutive examinations (II, III, IV) were carried out on smaller groups of subjects for reasons on with the authors had no influence. During the experiment, 2-3 times in a month, sample of daily food rations given to the studied subjects and residual food on the plates were taken for analysis. This was done for determination of actual food intake. Through the whole period of the experiment the observed subjects were inquired about additional food consumed. The biochemical investigations of the nutritional state of these young subjects included hematological indices, serum proteins, selected biochemical components in the serum, activity of certain enzymes in the serum, serum lipid components and serum level of certain vitamins. The results of these investigations show the enrichment of diets during 3 months with vegetable fats (sunflower oil, margarine containing 40% of E.F.A.) for increasing the amount of E.F.A. in the whole daily food (together with additional food calculated on the basis of inquiry information) from 14.7 g to 27.7 g (3,2% kcal and 5,8% kcal respectively) has a favorable effect on selected serum lipids. The following changes appeared: decrease of total lipid level, total cholesterol level, cholesterol content of beta and prebeta-lipoproteins levels, free fatty acid level and the favorable changes in the composition of fatty acid in total lipid and selected lipid fractions in the serum. Food enrichment with E.F.A. led to rise the level of linoleic acid and total E.F.A. level and to fall the level of saturated fatty acids. The ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids changes favorably both in total serum lipids and in different lipid fraction...

[Researches on the physiopathologic effects of rapeseed oil with high and low erucic acid content]. / Recherches sur les effets physiopathologiques des huiles de colza à haute et à basse teneur en acide érucique.

The physiopathological effects were studied of a common high erucic acid rapeseed oil as well as of Janpol, a low erucic acid oil produced of a rapeseed variety selected in Poland. Its erucic acid content equals 2.8% of total fatty acids. The studies were carried out on white male Wistar rats, 25 days old at the beginning of experiment. These animals were divided into 6 groups fed the diets in which 10 or 20% of kcal well supplied either by high erucic acid rapeseed oil, by Janpol rapeseed oil, or by the sunflower oil. The experiment lasted 6 months. Following parameters were determined: increase in body weight, the weight of selected organs, blood serum alkaline phosphatase and pseudocholinesterase activities, blood serum cholesterol and triglycerides level, the content of corticosterone in the adrenal glands and blood plasma. The liver was studied histochemically for the activity of acid and alkaline phosphatases and of ATP-ase, as well as for the presence of lipids. Morphological studies of the myocardium comprised macroscopic, histological and electron microscopic investigation. The low erucic acid rapeseed oil Janpol seems to evoke less disturbances than the high erucic acid one. Supplied in the amount corresponding to 10% of total calories intake the former exerts the effect on the biochemical and morphological parameters similar to that of sunflower oil. It can be thus assumed that the low erucic acid rapeseed oil Janpol can be used in the feeding of man when served in the amount lower than 10% of total calories.

[Nutritional and biological experiences on low-erucic acid rapeseed oil "Janpol". Studies on rats after ingestion of "Janpol" oil and other edible fats]. / Expériences nutritionnelles et biologiques sur l'huile de colza "janpol" pauvre en acide érucique. Etudes chez les rats ingérant de l'huile "janpol" avec d'autres matiéres grasses alimentaires.

Comprehensive investigations were carried out for establishing the biological and nutritional value of low erucic-acid rapeseed oil from a variety of rape called Janpol selected in Poland. The pathophysiological effects of Janpol rapeseed oil were observed after giving it as the only source of fat in the diet or added in different proportions to other edible fats. In all cases the total amount of fat in the diet was 20 p. 100 kcal. The investigations were carried out on 78 young male Wistar rats aged 25 days at the beginning of the experiment. The rats were divided into 7 groups and they were given diets containing: 1) soybean oil; 2) mixed fats; 3) rapeseed oil of high erucic-acid content; 4) mixed fats containing 25 p. 100 of Janpol rapeseed oil; 5) mixed fats with 50 p. 100 of Janpol rapeseed oil; 6) mixed fats with 75 p. 100 of Janpol rapeseed oil; 7) Janpol rapeseed oil only. The experiment lasted 3 months. After its completion the rats were decapitated after 18 hours of starvation. The investigation s included : determination of weight gain, determination of the weight of selected organs (liver-lungs, heart, kidneys, testes, spleen), determination of alkaline phosphatase and pseudocholinesterase activity in the serum, determination of triglycerides and cholesterol in the serum, tests for adrenocortical function, histo-chemical investigations of the liver (alkaline and acid phosphatase, adenosine triphosphatase, fatty infiltration of the liver), macroscopic and microscopic anatomopathological examinations. The authors found the Janpol rapeseed oil caused less pronounced changes in the determined indices of the biological and nutritional evaluation as compared with high-erucic-acid rapeseed oil. Janpol repeseed oil given to experimental animals mixed with other fats in proportions of 25 p. 100 and 50 p. 100 of all fats in the diet, that is 5 p. 100 and 10 p. 100 kcal in the diet derived from Janpol oil gave in most determinations of the investigated parameters results very similar to those observed in animals receiving soybean oil. The results of these investigations show that Janpol rapesed oil can be used for nutrition of man in amounts not exceeding 10 p. 100 of the total caloric content of food.

[Physiopathological effects or erucic acid-poor rapeseed oil on rat adrenal glands]. / Recherches sur les effets physiopathologiques des huiles de colza pauvres en acide érucique au niveau des surrénales chez le rat.

The authors explored the influence of colza oils containing variable proportions of erucic acid ("Sinus", containing about 15 p. 100 erucic acid and K-20-40 oil, containing 0,5 p. 100) on adrenal function in the rat. The assays were performed on white male Wistar rats, aged 2.5 to 3 months. For a period of 6-10 weeks, groups of animals were maintained on diets containing 30 and 50 p. 100 of their caloric value as "Sinus" oil, and on diets containing 30 p. 100 of their caloric value as "Zero" oil (K-20-40). Control groups were placed on diets with the same percentages of normal colza or sunflower oils. Corticosterone was assayed in the adrenals and the plasma of treated and control animals. Cholesterol was assayed in the adrenals and in the serum of the same animals. It was found that the functional modifications of the adrenals in male Wistar rats are characteristic for erucic acid. The amount of functional damage to these glands is proportional to the level of erucic acid in the diet.

[Effects of rapeseed oil on production of corticosterone by rats subjected to stresses (physical effort, cold]. / Effets de l'huile de colza sur la production de la corticostérone chez des rats soumis a des agressions (effort physique, froid)

Investigations were carried out on male Wistar rats from an own animal farm of the Institute of Food and Nutrition. The animals were kept on two types of diet containing 50 p. 100 of calories from rapeseed or sunflower oil. The investigations on the effect of rapeseed oil on functional changes of rat adrenals in animals exposed to graded physical exercise were performed on 40 rats aged 3.5 months at the beginning of the experiment. The animals were divided into two groups and were given during 6 weeks diets containing rapeseed or sunflower oil. Then, each group was divided into two subgroups. Administering further these diets one subgroup was left without physical exercise during 7 days, the 2nd group was exposed to graded physical exercise during 45 min. daily during 7 days. Physical exercise was graded by means of special rotating drums driven electrically and provided with running-tracks. Each rat had a daily run of 630 m., and during 7 days this distance was 4 410 m. The investigations on the effect of rapeseed oil on functional changes of rat adrenals in animals exposed to low temperature were performed on 40 rats aged 3.5 months at the beginning of experiment. After 6 weeks on diets each of the two groups was divided into two subgroups. Administering further the same diets one group was left in the laboratory and the other subgroup was placed for 2 weeks in a room at 4 degrees C. After the experiment the animals were decapitated and their adrenals and plasma were taken for corticosterone determinations by the fluorimetric method. Differences were demonstrated in the effects of rapeseed oil and sunflower oil during these stresses. During graded physical exercise the corticosterone level in the adrenals of rats kept on diet with rapeseed oil was unchanged, while it rose significantly in the group receiving sunflower oil. In the plasma the corticosterone level increased during physical exercise in both groups, but in the group receiving rapeseed oil this increase was lower. During exposure to low temperature the adrenal corticosterone level decreased in the group receiving rapeseed oil and was unchanged in the group on sunflower oil. In the plasma the corticosterone level increased on exposure to low temperature in both groups but less in the group receiving rapeseed oil as compared with the group on sunflower oil.