Effect of cow's milk with different PUFA n-6: n-3 ratios on performance, serum lipid profile, and blood parameters of grower gilts

PLoS One. 2022 May 26;17(5):e0258629. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258629. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

The concern with human health has increased the interest in producing foods enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), directly or naturally, by inclusion in the animals' diet. The positive effects such as antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory, and hypolipidemic have been observed in pigs and rats, used as human models for study. The present study evaluated the effect of cow's milk with different lipid profiles on performance, serum fatty acid profile, biochemical analysis, and a complete blood count of gilts used as a human model. At 34 days, thirty gilts were equally distributed in three treatments. Experimental treatments were milk from cows without the oil supplementation (C), milk from cows fed an enriched diet with linseed oil (n-3), and milk from cows fed an enriched diet with soybean oil (n-6). Milk supplementation was performed until 190 days old, provided once in the morning. The n-3 and n-6 milk reduced the concentration of myristic acid in the blood and increased the leukocytes. Milk enriched with n-3 compared to n-6 reduced the stearic acid. In conclusion, milk with a better PUFA profile can reduce saturated fatty acids in the blood and alter the concentration of cells in the defense system.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Diet / veterinary
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Fatty Acids / analysis
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
  • Female
  • Lactation
  • Linseed Oil
  • Milk* / chemistry
  • Rats
  • Sus scrofa
  • Swine

Substances

  • Fatty Acids
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
  • Linseed Oil

Grants and funding

The authors would like to thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) by the financial support (Grant n° 2015/19393-8) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.