Abstract
EFA plays an important role in early human development especially that of the brain. EFA deficiency (EFAD) has frequently been reported in premature infants on parenteral nutrition. An animal model was used to define the kinetics of EFAD in a rapid growing period of lifespan. Male weaning rats (21-days-old) were fed either by a) Purina lab. chow containing 4.5% vegetable oil of which 31.7% was EFA (n=10); or b) EFA-free diet containing 10% hydrogenated coconut oil (n=10). Growth and plasma fatty acid (PFA) composition were assessed bi-weekly up to 15 weeks of age. Two weeks on the EFA-free diet compromised growth and significantly changed plasma lipid profile: decrease in linoleate (37.2±2.5 vs 7.5±0.7 mg/dl;M±SE), arachidonate (17.4±1.9 vs 7.6±0.8) and decosahexenoate (2.0±0.4 vs trace), with concomitant increase in palmitoleate (5.0±0.7 vs 11.7±0.9), oleate (3.9±3.4 vs 63.0±6.0) and 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate (trace vs 12.8±1.4mg/dl). Advancement in EFAD was accompanied by a progressive decrease in plasma oleate indicating an increased demand of 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate. The triene/tetraene ratio increased progressively from 1.7 to 5.9 over the 12-week study period. We conclude: 1) that in spite of the considerable EFA reserves of the weaning rat (≃ 1000 mg/100 g bwt) an EFA-free diet induces rapid biochemical changes in PFA profile and impairs growth, 2) visible symptoms of EFAD can only be observed 10-12 weeks after the commencement of EFA-free diet, and 3) growth retardation induced by EFAD is extremely severe (<0.7 of ideal weight) by the end of the study.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Young, A., Heim, T. & Filler, R. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID (EFA) DEFICIENCY IN THE WEANING RAT. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 148 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00328
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00328