Adding fat to the chickens’ diet didn’t change their blood pressure — so high blood pressure probably isn’t why their arteries got damaged.

Scientific Claim

Dietary fat supplementation (maize oil or animal fat) does not significantly affect systolic blood pressure in laying hens over three years, indicating hemodynamic stress is unlikely to be a primary driver of aortic lesion development in this model.

Original Statement

“Various fat supplements given to the chicken over 3 years in no way affected final systolic blood pressure... which makes it highly unlikely that haemodynamic factors would be involved in any difference in the incidence or severity of atherosclerosis among the three groups.”

From study:Effect of prolonged feeding of differently saturated fats to laying hens on performance, blood pressure, plasma lipids and changes in the aorta

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The claim correctly uses 'does not significantly affect' and 'unlikely to be involved' — appropriate for a non-randomized study showing no association. No causal language is used.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

Effect of prolonged feeding of differently saturated fats to laying hens on performance, blood pressure, plasma lipids and changes in the aorta

Cohort Study

Animal

1960

The study looked at whether different fats affected blood pressure in chickens over three years, but it never clearly says whether blood pressure changed or stayed the same — so we can’t tell if the claim is right or wrong.

Source Study

Effect of prolonged feeding of differently saturated fats to laying hens on performance, blood pressure, plasma lipids and changes in the aorta

Score: 12

DOI: 10.1079/BJN19600058

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