Influence of dietary lipids on plasma and hepatic lipids and on blood clotting properties in rats fed oral contraceptives
Tabacchi, M.H.; Kirksey, A.
Journal of Nutrition 103(9): 1270-1278
1973
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-3166 PMID: 4725717 Document Number: 58708
Female Wistar rats were given a diet of casein, oil, sucrose, maize starch, minerals and vitamins. The oil was either safflower oil 20% of diet or hydrogenerated coconut oil 19.7% with safflower oil 0.3% of diet for essential fatty acids. Half the rats on each oil got cholesterol 0.5% of diet. Diets were given freely from weaning to 6 months of age. For the last 4 weeks they got the diets alone or with one of 3 oral contraceptives, Ovulen, Provest or Enovid, in doses per unit bodyweight equivalent to twice that usually prescribed for women. There were 7 or 8 rats to each treatment and the controls were those given safflower oil diets without cholesterol or contraceptives. In a 2nd trial half the rats had ovaries removed at 100 g bodyweight, cholesterol was not given and only Ovulen was used.Enovid or Ovulen decreased and cholesterol increased feed intake; rats given contraceptives lost bodyweight in the 1st week then regained it and the only item affecting final bodyweight was coconut oil, which decreased it. In the 2nd trial, rats given Ovulen or coconut oil ate less but their final bodyweight was not significantly less than in other groups. Before Ovulen was given, intake and bodyweight were significantly less in rats with ovaries removed than in intact rats. From the results, given as tables, it was concluded that dietary fat significantly affected the action of contraceptives on plasma lipids and liver lipids and blood clotting. Safflower oil mitigated the effect of contraceptives and cholesterol in increasing prothrombin rate, and that of coconut oil in depressing fibrinolytic activity. It mitigated changes in plasma lipids caused by the contraceptives but gave greater increase in liver lipids than did cholesterol alone. Coconut oil increased the high plasma triglyceride content caused by contraceptives but decreased the high liver lipid content of rats given cholesterol.