Dietary arachidonic acid reduces fatty liver,increases diet consumption and weight gain in ethanol-fed rats

We fed young male Sprague-Dawley rats for 4 wk ad libitum liquid diets containing 34% of the calories as ethanol and 35% as fat with (AA+) and without (AA−) arachidonic acid (20∶4). Additional rats in the control groups were fed similar diets made isocaloric with dextrose with (CA+) and without (CA−) 20∶4. The liver triglyceride (TG) content of rats in the AA+ group was reduced ca. 3-fold over that of rats in the AA-group. The diet consumption and body wts of rats in the AA+ group were significantly greater than those of rats fed alcohol without the 20∶4 supplement (AA−). Also livers from rats in the AA+ group were as large as those from rats in control groups (CA+, CA−) and ca. twice as large as those from rats in the AA-group. The fatty acid composition of liver TG in rats fed the alcohol diet was similar to that of dietary fat. Levels of 20∶4 and docosatetraenoic acid (22∶4) in liver TG fatty acids from rats fed diets without arachidonate (AA−, CA−) were low (trace to 1.6%). After ingestion of arachidonic acid, 20∶4 increased to ca. 10% and 22∶4 to ca. 5%. The content of liver phospholipids was higher in livers of rats fed ethanol (AA−) than in those of controls (CA−). Presented at the ISF/AOCS World Congress, April 27-May 1, 1980, New York City.