The Biological Value of Oils and Fats III. The Longevity of Rats Fed Rapeseed Oil or Butterfat-Containing Diets

Abstract

In this investigation, male rats fed ad libitum with a diet containing 50 Cal. % rapeseed oil lived 20 to 25% longer than those fed a corresponding butterfat-containing diet. Both the growth rate and the daily food intake of the rapeseed oil animals were lower than those of the butterfat animals. The two groups showed pathological changes, namely lesions of the legs, and kidney degenerations, which were of a more serious nature in the butter group than in the rapeseed oil group. In the latter group a slight liver degeneration was observed, which did not occur in the butter group.