Groups of male and female rats received a sucrose fatty acid polyesters containing product (SPE) in their diet for 13 weeks at levels of 0, 5, 10 or 15%. Additional groups were pair-fed to the high-dose SPE-group (standard diet, 92.5%) or given food containing 7.5% hydrogenated lard (HF) or 4.5% fatty acid ethyl ester (FEE). Compared to the controls, there were increases in the food intake in males and females of the SPE-groups, HF- group and FEE-group. Male rats fed SPE showed increases in serum urea nitrogen at all levels, in serum alkaline phosphatase activity and urinary glucose excretion at 10 and 15%, in serum leucine amino-peptidase at 15%. In females dietary SPE increased the blood glucose content and serum alkaline phosphatase activity at 15% and the serum leucine aminopeptidase activity at 10 and 15%.