Variations in Linoleic Acid Content of Dietary Fat in Relation to Metabolism of Fat, Nitrogen and Minerals, and to Changes in Blood Lipids

Abstract

In a study with 6 young men students as subjects, the linoleic acid content was raised from 10 to 20 and 30% of the dietary fat in a mixed diet in which fat provided 40% of the calories. No significant effects of linoleic acid level were observed on the retention of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Magnesium retention showed a quadratic trend as the proportion of linoleic acid in the dietary fat increased. The effect on nitrogen metabolism and fecal fat excretion was not clear cut. There was a downward trend in serum cholesterol and total fatty acid levels with increasing amounts of dietary linoleic acid, but the differences in these serum levels between the increments of linoleic acid intake were not significant. The proportion of dienoic acid in the serum fatty acids increased significantly in all fractions studied as the linoleic acid content of the dietary fat increased.