Rapeseed oil fed to male weanling rats as 15% by weight of the diet for 2 months does not influence the plasma content of triglycerides (TG), phospholipids (PL), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and cholesterol esters (CE), as compared to peanut oil and canbra oil (‘zero erucic acid’ rapeseed oil). However, the fatty acid spectra are changed: erucic acid and eicosénoïque acid from dietary rapeseed oil are mainly incorporated in TG and NEFA, less in PL and practically not at all in CE. Feeding time has little effect. Therefore, the immediate but temporary cardiac steatosis which is obtained in weanling rats fed rapeseed oil cannot be explained by modifications of the plasma TG or NEFA concentration and/or their fatty acid composition. Rapeseed and canbra oil increase the percentages of ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acids and of nervonic acid in pla