Inability of Refined Corn Oil to influence Spontaneous Arteriosclerosis of Old Hens

Abstract

ACCORDING to a large number of reports, vegetable oils (such as corn, cotton-seed, rape-seed, safflower oil, etc.) are able to decrease serum cholesterol both in man and experimental animals. Some evidence exists that this effect is, at least partly, related to the presence of highly unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid. It is not clear, however, whether such vegetable oils also have beneficial effects on arterio-sclerotic lesions. After cholesterol-feeding, conflicting results have been reported with rabbits as well as with cockerels. Experimental arteriosclerosis due to cholesterol-feeding may, however, be different from arteriosclerosis in man. Probably the spontaneous arteriosclerotic lesions in old birds, for example hens¹, are more like human arteriosclerosis. We have therefore investigated the effect of dietary corn oil on spontaneous arteriosclerosis of old hens.