Administration of repeatedly heated coconut oil alters lipid levels and antioxidant status in cholesterol fed rats

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Oxidation products generated during repeated heating of cooking oils can participate in the development of cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of administration of high fat diet with and without cholesterol and to compare the effects of fresh and repeatedly heated coconut oil in rats. The effects of various diets containing coconut oil on lipid levels in serum and tissues, oxidative damage and antioxidant status in tissues were studied. METHODS: Coconut oil was heated at 210 ± 10°C for fifteen hours. Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups of six animals each and were fed the experimental diet for sixty days. RESULTS: Results revealed that rats fed high fat – cholesterol enriched diet significantly influenced the lipid levels and antioxidant status in experimental animals. The results indicate that repeated heating of coconut oil increased the lipid levels and oxidative stress in cholesterol fed rats. CONCLUSIONS: Study demonstrates that thermally stressed dietary oil increases the atherosclerotic tendency in experimental animals by inducing oxidative stress in addition to those induced by dietary cholesterol.