Peroxidation of
LDL and other
lipoproteins is thought to play a central role in
atherogenesis. Dietary thermally oxidised
oils may increase atherogenic risk in consumers by increasing their oxidative status. The present paper compares the effects of two diets containing unused
sunflower-seed oil (US) or
sunflower-seed oil repeatedly used in frying (FS) (both 15 g/100 g diet) on
weight gain, food efficiency ratio, serum
lipid levels and
lipoprotein composition, and the content of
thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (
TBARS) in the liver, serum, and
lipoproteins in growing Wistar rats. After sixty potato fryings the FS contained 27.7 g polar material/100 g oil and 16.6 g oligomers/100 g oil. The FS-fed rats had a significantly lower
weight gain and food efficiency ratio. Liver-
TBARS increased due to the consumption of the highly altered oil and showed a significant linear relationship (all r > 0.68; P < 0.002) with the ingestion of thermally oxidised compounds. Serum-, VLDL-,
LDL- and HDL-
TBARS were significantly higher in the FS-fed rats (all P < 0.001). Concentrations of serum total and non-esterified
cholesterol and
phospholipids were significantly higher in the FS-fed rats (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, and P < 0.001, respectively). Serum
triacylglycerol concentrations did not vary between the two dietary groups. Total and esterified
cholesterol and
phospholipid levels increased significantly in the HDL fraction (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, and P < 0.001, respectively) of the FS-fed rats.
HDL-cholesterol and HDL-
phospholipids were significantly correlated with liver-
TBARS (r > 0.747; P < 0.0001), VLDL-
TBARS (r > 0.642; P < 0.003),
LDL-
TBARS (r > 0.475; P < 0.04), and HDL-
TBARS (r > 0.787; P < 0.0001). The data suggest that the rat increases HDL as a protecting mechanism against the peroxidative stress induced by the consumption of a diet containing the thermally oxidised oil.