Effectiveness of utilizing fish oil and phosphatidylcholine in ameliorating the progression of metabolic syndrome in pigs consuming a Western diet

Manoharan, Jagatheesan (2022) Effectiveness of utilizing fish oil and phosphatidylcholine in ameliorating the progression of metabolic syndrome in pigs consuming a Western diet. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The modern Western diet has been characterized as high in calories, saturated fat, omega-6: omega-3 ratio, added sugar, and sodium. Chronic consumption of a Western diet has been identified as an essential contributor to metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by the development of insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, obesity and hypertension. Omega-3 fatty acids have been identified as nutrients that may alleviate metabolic syndrome and recent studies found that phospholipids were effective in transporting omega-3 fatty acids even when included in a diet high in saturated fat and a high omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio. Our objectives were to assess the effects of fish oil and phospholipids on the expression of metabolic syndrome outcomes in Yucatan miniature pigs. Pigs were separated into three dietary treatment groups. To induce metabolic syndrome we utilized a Western diet (WD) and added either omega-3 fatty acids via fish oil (WFO) or fish oil and phosphatidylcholine via soy lecithin (WFOL) to identify the potential benefits of these compounds in preventing metabolic syndrome. The experimental diets were fed between 71-122 days. Body parameters obtained directly from the pigs and in vivo metabolic test data collected via laboratory analyses of tissue samples were subjected to ANCOVA statistical analysis. There was a significant difference in fasting blood glucose concentrations during intravenous glucose tolerance testing, and an increased trend was observed in fasting plasma cholesterol concentrations in WFO compared to WD and WFOL after being on the diet for six weeks. A definitive conclusion on the dietary effects of omega-3 fatty acids in ameliorating the factors of metabolic syndrome cannot be reached with our existing data as we currently have no data to correlate the metabolic outcomes with omega-3 fatty acid incorporation to measure the effectiveness of fish oil and phosphatidyl choline combination in ameliorating the Western diet induced metabolic syndrome.

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