Vitamin E adequacy of vegetable oils

Abstract

Young male rats were fed diets containing 20 per cent fat in the form of soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, or hydrogenated shortening, and their vitamin E status was assessed for twenty-seven weeks. On the basis of growth rate, in vitro red cell hemolysis, plasma creatine phosphokinase activity, and testicular development, soybean oil, corn oil, and shortening provided adequate vitamin E. Rats fed safflower oil had slight red cell hemolysis but were normal in other respects. When the tocopherols in corn oil were reduced by half, vitamin E status still appeared normal. Tissue levels of alpha- and gamma-tocopherols were determined in all groups, and the limitations of the dietary E:PUFA ratio are discussed.