Effects of margarine and butter on lipid profile and serum fatty acid composition in rats

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of deathin the world. Nutritional factors are one of the main causes of these diseases. Food regimes that are rich in saturated and transfatty acids increase the risk of these diseases.The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of hard and soft margarine, butterand canola oil (control group) on serum lipid profileofrat. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two rats into four groups for eight weeks with a high-fat diet containing canola oil, hard and soft margarine or animal butter were fed. Fatty acid composition and lipid profile of serum were measured before and after the intervention. Results: Compared to canola oil, margarine and animal butter led to a significant increase in triglyceride. In all groups, total cholesterol and HDL-C were increased. Canola oil reduced LDL-C and hard margarine, but not soft margarine and also butter increased it. Butter increased LDL-C/HDL-C but margarine and canola oil reduced it. In serum of the control group, the levels of saturated fatty acids reduced, but those of mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids increased. The reverse changes were found in the butter and margarine groups. Conclusion: In compared with butter, high-trans margarines have a negative impact on lipid profile, while low-trans ones caused improvement lipid profile