• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.476-484
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• 1992

The influence of selenuium deficiency and fish oil on lipid peoxidation status and fatty acid composition of tissues(plasma aorta and liver) was studied. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed for eight weeks semipurified diets containing 7% corn oil(by weight) or 5, 5% fish oil(MaxEPA) plus 1.5% corn oil with oil with or without selenium status (glutathione peroxidase activity and selenium levels) were significantly lower in the rats given inadequate selenium in plasma aorta (p<0.02 and p<0.001 respectively) gut not that in plasma Selenium supplementation decreased hepatic MDA levels(p<0.02) Increases in the levels of 20:5(n-3) 22:5(n-3), 22:6(n-3) 20:3(n-6) and a decrease in the level of 20:4(n-6) were observed in plasma total lipids and aortic and hepatic phospholipids when fish oil was fed. Though selenium supplementation increased the level of n-3 fatty acids(such as 22:6(n-3)) in plsama and the aorta is overall effect was smaller than the effect of fish oil feeding. These data suggest that selenium may play a significant but minor role in protecting against lipid peroxide-tion even when vitamin E intakes are in excess of current recommendations in both corn oil and fish oil diets.