Impact of a high-fat diet containing canola or soybean oil on body development and bone; parameters in adult male rats.

INTRODUCTION The role of the fatty acid in the prevention or progression of chronic diseases has generated significant interest on the part of researchers. Thus, our objective was to evaluate the long-term effects of high-fat diet containing soybean or canola oil on body development and bone parameters of male rats. METHODS After weaning, rats were grouped and fed either a control diet (7S) or a high-fat diet containing soybean (19S) or canola oil (19C). Femur and lumbar vertebra (LV4) structure were determined at 180 days by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography. RESULTS The groups showed similar food intake, body mass and length development. The bone parameters of the 19C were similar to the control group, while the 19S showed lower bone parameters when compared to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS The high-fat diet containing soybean oil was unfavorable to bone structure, while the canola oil contributed bone health during the adult stage of life.