Venous thrombosis risk: Effects of palm oil and hydrogenated fat diet in rats

Objective

We tested whether diets containing partially hydrogenated fat (PHVO, rich in trans fatty acids) or palm oil (PO, rich in saturated fat—C16 palmitic fatty acid) had different effects on the propensity for venous thrombosis, a marker of haemostatic cardiovascular risk.

Methods

Female Wistar rats were fed normolipidic diets containing PHVO or PO during lactation, and their young male pups were fed the same diets from weaning until the 180th day of life. We evaluated platelet fatty acid composition, serum lipids, platelet aggregation, clotting time, and venous thrombus formation.

Results

A significant and cumulative incorporation of trans fatty acid was observed only in the platelet lipids from the PHVO group, associated with an increased sensitivity to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and venous thrombus formation in vivo. Platelets from rats raised on the PO diet also exhibited platelet aggregation induced by ADP and an increase in venous thrombus weight, with a concomitant increase in serum triglycerides.

Conclusion

The prolonged replacement of dietary hydrogenated fat by PO impaired platelet aggregability and venous thrombosis, suggesting an increased risk of thromboembolic diseases.