Rats show differences in some biomarkers of health when eating diets based on ingredients produced with three different cultivation strategies

Summary

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to identify health-related biomarkers affected by different growth conditions of plant foods. Rats were fed balanced diets composed of vegetables and rapeseed oil from three different cultivation systems (‘LIminusP’, low fertiliser input, without pesticides; ‘LIplusP’, low fertiliser input, with pesticides; and ‘HIplusP’, high fertiliser input, with pesticides) chosen to cover a broad range of management options, rather than representing actual food production systems.
RESULTS: Rats fed LIminusP and LIplusP had a higher serum IgG concentration compared to rats fed HIplusP and 14% less adipose tissue. Rats fed LIminusP showed less movement during the day than the other treatments, with no differences during the night. The liver metabolic function and free malonedialdehyde concentration differed between the LIminusP and the LIplusP treatments. Despite similar fatty acid composition and vitamin E content of the rapeseed oil used for the LIminusP and HIplusP diets, plasma concentrations of oleic and linoleic acids, γ- and α-tocopherol and the liver concentration of lipid hydroperoxides differed between these two treatments.
CONCLUSION: Differences between dietary treatments composed of ingredients from different cultivation methods caused differences in some health-related biomarkers, which, in future studies on this topic, should be assessed with respect to health implications.