Combination effect of herring roe lipids and proteins on plasma lipids and abdominal fat weight of mouse.

Dietary effects of herring roe lipids (HR-L) and proteins (HR-P) on plasma lipids and abdominal fat pad weight were determined. The main lipid class of HR-L was phospholipids (74%) and the main fatty acids were palmitic acid (16:0, 25.8%), DHA (22:6n-3, 21.6%), EPA (20:5n-3, 14.4%), and oleic acid (18:1n-9, 13.2%). A little increase in total cholesterol level was observed in plasma lipids of mouse fed with HR-L, although HR-L contained 9% cholesterol. This would be due to the lowering effect of EPA and DHA contained in HR-L on plasma cholesterol. Replacement of a part of dietary protein (5%) to HR-P reduced abdominal fat pad weight, but not significantly. On the other hand, combination of HR-P and HR-L significantly reduced the fat pad weight of the mouse as compared with the control. A significant effect of HR-P + HR-L was also observed in the reducing plasma lipid levels.