Effects of fat sources on liver characteristics and intestinal morphometry in an early-life animal model

Motivation for the study. There is little evidence on whether the consumption of fat sources containing different proportions of fatty acids has an effect on the characteristics of the liver and small intestine at an early age. Main findings. We found that the intake of fat sources containing unsaturated fatty acids contributes to maintaining the characteristics of both organs; whereas, consumption of sources containing saturated fatty acids favors inflammation in the liver and small intestine. Implications. The consumption of quinoa oil constitutes an alternative to protect these noble organs in an animal model at an early age. We aimed to determine the effect of the consumption of three sources of fatty acids on the relative weight, macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the liver, and intestinal morphometry in an early-life animal model. Seventy-six randomly distributed chicks received one of the diets (T1: 97.0% basal diet (BD) + 3.0% inert material, T2: 97.0% BD + 3.0% partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening, T3: 97.0% BD + 3.0% quinoa oil, and T4: 97.0% BD + 3.0% fish oil) until the seventh day of life; samples were then extracted in order to be analyzed. We found that the animals that consumed quinoa oil (T3) or fish oil (T4) had favorable results associated to lower liver weight and better absorption of nutrients at intestinal level due to higher values in the hair length and crypt depth ratio, in comparison to partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening (T2). In conclusion, quinoa oil constitutes a healthy option for consumption and an alternative source to fish oil.