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Effects of Dietary Fatty Acid Composition on Macronutrient Selection and Synaptosomal Fatty Acid Composition in Rats¹

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A8

Our previous work showed that rats consuming 20% (wt/wt) lard diets selected more protein and less carbohydrate than did rats fed 20% (wt/wt) soybean oil diets. To determine if this effect is specific to saturated fat source and to measure changes in fatty acid composition of synaptosomal phospholipids, male Wistar rats were fed a 20% (wt/wt) soybean oil or tallow diet with 24% protein and 48% carbohydrate for 2 wk. Rats then self-selected from two diets with the same fat previously fed but different protein and carbohydrate composition (5% protein, 67% carbohydrate and 55% protein, 17% carbohydrate). Tallow-fed rats selected more protein and less carbohydrate than did soybean oil-fed rats. Dietary fat also affected fatty acid composition of synaptosomal phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine being most affected and phosphatidylinositol most resistant. Later studies determined if selection differences were due to taste. When rats self-selected without prior exposure to diets, tallow-fed rats selected more protein and less carbohydrate than did soybean oil-fed rats during the last 2 wk but not the first 2 wk. When rats selected from diets with identical protein and carbohydrate composition but different dietary fat, rats consumed slightly greater amounts of the tallow diet at each protein level. The relative intake of tallow and soybean oil diets, however, did not vary significantly with dietary protein treatment. These results confirm that rats fed saturated fat diets select more protein and less carbohydrate than do rats fed polyunsaturated fat diets and suggest this difference is not due to taste factors.

KEY WORDS: • male rats • diet composition • food intake • saturated dietary fat • synaptosomal phospholipids • macronutrient selection

¹ Supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council of Canada.

² C. McGee was the recipient of a University of Toronto Open Scholarship.

Manuscript received 31 October 1988. Revision accepted 13 June 1989.