Supplementation of cow milk naturally enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols to growing rats

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 3; p. e0172909
• Main Authors: Santos, Nadine W, Yoshimura, Emerson H, Mareze-Costa, Cecília E, Machado, Erica, Agustinho, Bruna C, Pereira, Lucelia M, Brito, Márcia N, Brito, Nilton A, Zeoula, Lucia M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 07.03.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animal Feed; Animals; Antioxidants; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Body weight gain; Cardiovascular disease; Cattle; Cholesterol; Cow's milk; Dairy products; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Enrichment; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Fish oils; Food and nutrition; Health aspects; High density lipoprotein; Insulin; Lipoproteins (very low density); Low density lipoprotein; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolic disorders; Milk; Milk - chemistry; Muscles; Nutrition research; Nutritional aspects; Obesity; Polyphenols; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Propolis; Proteins; Rats; Rodents; Tocopherol; Unsaturated fatty acids; Vitamin E; Weaning; Weight reduction
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172909

This study investigated whether intake of cow milk, naturally enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, omega-3) and polyphenols (from propolis extract and vitamin E), from manipulation of cow's diet, would result in positive metabolic effects in rats from weaning until adulthood. Male Wistar rats were fed a standard chow diet or a hypercaloric diet (metabolically disturbed rats, obese) which was supplemented with either whole common milk, milk enriched with PUFA (PUFA-M) or milk enriched with PUFA and polyphenols (PUFA/P-M), at 5mL/kg body weight,having water as control. Whole milk supplementation increased initial weight gain and reduced gain in the adulthood of rats. Intake of common milk reduced cholesterol levels in non-obese rats and reduced insulin resistance in obese rats. PUFA-milk showed a decreasing effect on plasma triacylglycerol and VLDL concentrations, increasing plasma HDL concentration and reducing adipocyte size of non-obese rats, but no effect was observed in obese rats. PUFA/P-milk in obese rats resulted in greater deposition of muscle mass and mesenteric fat, with a tendency to lower LDL levels, and resulted a visceral fat accumulation in non-obese rats. Thus, whole common milk and PUFA-rich milk have shown to be beneficial in a normal metabolic condition, whereas common milk and milk enriched with PUFA and polyphenols improve metabolic effects of obesity.