This study was designed to investigate the changes in energy substrates, glucose and non-esterified fatty acid(NEFA), and fatty acid compositions in serum, following physiolgical stress in rats fed diets containing various fatty acids. Forty two Sprague-Dawley strain male rats, weighing 108$pm$2.1g, were fed 3 different experimental diets for 4 weeks. The diets were composed of 105 fat(w/w) of either corn oil(CO;18:2 n6:57%), plant perilla oil(PO;18:3 n3:59%), or tuna fish oil(FO;20:5 n3:17%%, 22:6 n3:19%). After 4 weeks of feeding, each group wa subdiveided into (a) control, (b) 2 min swim in ice-cold water. Animals wer decapitated 20min after commencing the swim; trunk blood, brain, liver and epididymal fat pad were obtained. The levels of serum corticosterone, glucose, NEFA, triglyceride, fatty acid compositions, brain serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were determined. Basal levels of corticosterone na NEFA of serum were significantly lower in fish oil fed animals than those of any other oil fed animals. Compared to either perilla oil-fed or corn oil-fed rats, cold swim stress in fish oil fed rats produced significantly smaller NEFA and larger corticosterone responses. However, there was no significant difference in basal levels of serum glucose. Stress increased serum glucose levels slightly, and the amount of increment was larger in fish oil rats than those of any other oil fed rats than those of any other oil fed rats, although all the values were normal level. Dietary fats and stress did not affect serotonin metabolism. In additions, the composition of fatty acids in serum was significantly affected by the dietary compostion of fatty acids and stress. Stress induced decreases in monounsaturated fatty acid and non-polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration in either perilla oil fed or fish group, but did not in corn oil fed group. Stress resulted in changes in fatty acid metabolism similar to that associated with essential fatty acid(EFA) dificiency, when feeding animals n-3 fatty acids in diet. In conclusion, feeding fish oil was more effective to decrease NEFA in serum than feeding perilla oil or corn oil and improved lipid metabolism, when the rats were maintained in normal or exposed to stressful environment. However, the fact that feeding diet containing n-3 fatty acids decreased EFA status under stress suggests that the requirement of n-6 PUFA should be increased in these groups.