Fish oil versus arachis oil food supplementation in relation to pregnancy duration in rats
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Throughout pregnancy, Lewis rats were fed standard rat chow supplemented with 15% (w/w) of either MaxEPA fish oil (FO) or arachis oil (AO); a third group was fed standard rat chow only (St) (n = 15, 15, and 16 rats, respectively). Compared to AO-rats, FO-rats had substantially higher levels of n-3 fatty acids and lower levels of n-6 fatty acids in maternal and fetal tissues at delivery. FO-rats had a longer average gestational age than AO-rats (p <0.01), primarily due to a high proportion of AO-rats with short gestations. Birthweights of FO-rats were lower than those of AO-rats (P <0.05), which may be related to the lower maternal weight gain during pregnancy and the lower food consumption observed in FO-rats (p <0.01). Litter size and occurrence of stillborn pups were not significantly different in the groups (p > 0.1). The findings are compatible with the hypothesis that gestational age is positively related to a high dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes & Essential Fatty Acids |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 4 |
Pages (from-to) | 255-260 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 0952-3278 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 1990 |
ID: 45562270