Borg K
Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1975;585:5-13. doi: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1975.tb06554.x.
Rapeseed oil has a growth retarding effect in animals. Some investigators claim that the high content of erucic acid in rapeseed oil alone causes this effect, while others consider the low ratio saturated/monounsaturated fatty acids in rapeseed oil to be a contributory factor. Normally erucic acid is not found or occurs in traces in body fat, but when the diet contains rapeseed oil erucic acid is found in depot fat, organ fat and milk fat. Erucic acid is metabolized in vivo to oleic acid. The effects of rapeseed oil on reproduction and adrenals, testes, ovaries, liver, spleen, kidneys, blood, heart and skeletal muscles have been investigated. Fatty infiltration in the heart muscle cells has been observed in the species investigated. In long-term experiments in rats erucic acid produces fibrosis of the myocardium. Erucic acid lowers the respiratory capacity of the heart mitochondria. The reduction of respiratory capacity is roughly proportional to the content of erucic acid in the diet, and diminishes on continued administration of erucic acid. The lifespan of rats is the same on corn oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, whale oil and rapeseed oil diet. Rats fed a diet with erucic acid or other docosenoic acids showed a lowered tolerance to cold stress (+4 degrees C). In Sweden erucic acid constituted 3-4% of the average intake of calories up to 1970 compared with about 0.4% at present.
菜籽油对动物有生长抑制作用。一些研究者声称，仅菜籽油中芥酸的高含量就会导致这种作用，而另一些人则认为菜籽油中饱和脂肪酸与单不饱和脂肪酸的低比例是一个促成因素。正常情况下，体脂中不存在芥酸或仅含有微量芥酸，但当饮食中含有菜籽油时，在储存脂肪、器官脂肪和乳脂中就能发现芥酸。芥酸在体内会代谢为油酸。人们已经对菜籽油对生殖系统以及肾上腺、睾丸、卵巢、肝脏、脾脏、肾脏、血液、心脏和骨骼肌的影响进行了研究。在所研究的物种中，已观察到心肌细胞中有脂肪浸润现象。在对大鼠的长期实验中，芥酸会导致心肌纤维化。芥酸会降低心脏线粒体的呼吸能力。呼吸能力的降低大致与饮食中芥酸的含量成正比，并且在持续摄入芥酸时会减弱。以玉米油、大豆油、椰子油、鲸油和菜籽油为饮食的大鼠寿命相同。喂食含芥酸或其他二十二碳烯酸饮食的大鼠对冷应激（+4摄氏度）的耐受性降低。在瑞典，直到1970年，芥酸在平均热量摄入中占3% - 4%，而目前约为0.4%。
