EFFECTS OF LINOLENIC AND TRANS-FATTY-ACIDS ON NEONATAL SURVIVAL OF C57BL/6 MICE

One of the four diets was fed to three generations of female C57Bl/6 mice. Diets contained one of two levels of linolenic acid (0.18 and 0.02 energy %) with or without trans fatty acids (TFA; 0.0 and 2.2 energy %). All other components were identical in the four 10% fat diets. Females were mated and the survival of pups was monitored from birth to weaning. There were no significant differences among the diet groups in dam weight gain during pregnancy and lactation or in the average number of pups per litter. Survival was best for pups from dams fed the diet that contained the higher level of linolenic acid and no TFA. The poorest survival was observed for pups of dams fed the diet that contained TFA and the lower level of linolenic acid. Comparison over three generations revealed that pup survival on the TFA, low linolenic acid diet was progressively impaired. It was concluded that neonatal survival may be impaired by inadequate levels of dietary n-3 fatty acid and that an optimum level of linolenic acid should be considered in the context of other fatty acids present in the diet.