DIETARY BORON ALTERS THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF DIETARY OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS ON GROWTH AND BONE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF F1 GENERATION RATS

Authors: Nielsen, Forrest - Frosty

Submitted to: Trace Elements in Man and Animals International Symposium
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/2/2002
Publication Date: 5/1/2003
Citation: Nielsen, F.H. 2003. Dietary boron alters the effect of different amounts of dietary omega-3 fatty acids on growth and bone physical characteristics of F1 generation rats. Journal of Nutrition. v.133(5S-1). p.231E.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Female and male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 160 and 180 g, and 190 and 210 g, respectively, were fed diets containing about 70 ug boron (B)/kg in a factorial arrangement with supplemental B at 0 (deficient) and 3 (adequate) mg/kg and canola oil (CO) or palm oil (PO) at 75 g/kg of diet as variables. After five weeks, six females per treatment were placed with males to breed. Dams and pups continued on their respective dietary treat- ments through gestation, lactation, and after weaning. Twelve F**1** rats per treatment for each sex were designated for bone breaking determina- tions. At 13 weeks after weaning, when dietary fat was PO, the weights of boron-deficient rats were less than boron-adequate rats. Feeding CO instead of PO decreased the weights of B-adequate females; with males, weights were decreased in B-adequate, but increased in B-deficient animals. An interaction between dietary fat source and B affected several parameters sof bone breaking. For example, stress (force per unit area of the cross section of bone at breaking) was decreased in B-deficient rats when CO was fed instead of PO with the effect more marked in females. Stress was increased in B-adequate rats when CO was fed instead of PO. The interaction between dietary B and fat source affected several physical characteristics at the point the bone was broken. For example, when CO was fed instead of PO the lateral width was increased in B-deficient rats, but decreased in B- adequate rats. Boron deficiency markedly reduced the B concentration and resulted in small decreases in Ca, P, Zn and K concentrations, and feeding CO instead of PO resulted in a small decreases in Fe and Mg in bone. The results suggest that B and omega-3 fatty acids affect similar systems in higher animals including physical characteristics of bone.