Table 1.
Influence of the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids in oils administered to the rats on the fat and fatty acid composition of the rat cortex and cerebellum 1.
| Region | Total 3 | Coconut | Soybean | EPA/DHA 1:1 | 80% DHA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brain weight (g) | - | 1.93 (0.05) | 2.0 (0.1) | 1.9 (0.1) | 1.9 (0.1) | 1.9 (0.1) |
| Brain-to-body weight index (%) 2 | - | 0.45 (0.01) | 0.46 (0.02) | 0.43 (0.02) | 0.45 (0.03) | 0.44 (0.02) |
| FAT (%) * | Cortex | 6.60 (0.19) | 6.69 (0.31) | 6.35 (0.13) | 6.56 (0.43) | 6.80 (0.02) |
| Cerebellum | 7.64 * (0.18) | 7.61 (0.32) | 7.82 (0.08) | 7.72 (0.27) | 7.40 (0.42) | |
| Total SFAs (%) * | Cortex | 47.29 (0.37) | 47.24 (0.27) | 47.37 (0.64) | 47.42 (0.32) | 47.14 (0.30) |
| Cerebellum | 43.41 * (0.27) | 43.57 (0.32) | 43.30 (0.07) | 43.40 (0.13) | 43.38 (0.46) | |
| Total MUFAs (%) * | Cortex | 23.38 (0.73) | 23.60 (0.79) | 23.16 (1.12) | 23.22 (0.75) | 23.53 (0.55) |
| Cerebellum | 30.92 * (0.80) | 30.73 (1.16) | 30.87 (0.10) | 31.18 (0.62) | 30.89 (1.28) | |
| Total PUFAs (%) * | Cortex | 29.12 (0.20) | 28.90 (0.54) | 29.39 (0.75) | 29.09 (1.06) | 29.09 (0.35) |
| Cerebellum | 25.27 * (0.17) | 25.30 (0.93) | 25.43 (0.07) | 25.02 (0.54) | 25.31 (0.88) | |
| ω-6 (%) *$ | Cortex | 15.28 (0.91) | 15.87 a (0.46) | 16.21 a (0.43) | 14.72 ab (0.57) | 14.30 b (0.53) |
| Cerebellum | 10.88 * (0.77) | 11.46 c (0.46) | 11.61 c (0.16) | 10.35 cd (0.28) | 10.09 d (0.16) | |
| ω-3 (%) *$ | Cortex | 13.84 (0.87) | 13.02 a (0.23) | 13.18 a (0.36) | 14.37 ab (0.50) | 14.79 b (0.38) |
| Cerebellum | 14.39 * (0.68) | 13.84 ab (0.48) | 13.82 ab (0.09) | 14.67 b (0.62) | 15.21 b (0.94) | |
| ω-3/ω-6 *$ | Cortex | 0.91 (0.12) | 0.82 a (0.03) | 0.81 a (0.01) | 0.98 ab (0.01) | 1.04 b (0.06) |
| Cerebellum | 1.33 * (0.16) | 1.21 c (0.01) | 1.19 bc (0.02) | 1.42 d (0.09) | 1.51 d (0.11) | |
| ARA (%) *$ | Cortex | 10.16 (0.50) | 10.46 a (0.39) | 10.65 a (0.34) | 9.97 ab (0.44) | 9.55 b (0.42) |
| Cerebellum | 6.69 * (0.48) | 7.04 c (0.33) | 7.15 cd (0.09) | 6.41 cd (0.18) | 6.16 d (0.15) | |
| DHA (%) *$ | Cortex | 13.60 (0.81) | 12.84 a (0.23) | 12.98 a (0.37) | 14.11 ab (0.53) | 14.47 b (0.37) |
| Cerebellum | 14.06 * (0.57) | 13.60 ab (0.50) | 13.60 ab (0.10) | 14.26 ab (0.61) | 14.78 b (0.90) |
1 Values are expressed as mean (standard deviation) (n = 10). Two-way ANOVA analyses were conducted. * p < 0.05 significant differences due to the factor “tissue” (Cortex and Cerebellum); $ p < 0.05 significant differences due to the factor “oil” (Coconut, Soybean, EPA/DHA 1:1 and 80% DHA). Post hoc Tukey HSD analyses were performed following ANOVA to assess mean differences between groups. Means with the same superscript letter (a, b, c, d) are not significantly different from each other, while means with different letters indicate significant differences, according to Tukey’s post hoc test (p < 0.05). 2 The brain-to-body weight index is brain weight [g]/body weight [g] × 100. 3 “Total” refers to the mean (SD) obtained from the two-way ANOVA analysis for each measurement across all individuals in the respective brain region, regardless of the oil received.