Effects of diet composition on food intake and carcass composition in rats

Since most of the weight-reduced obese humans are in a protein deficit state, this study was designed to examine whether a high protein diet (HP) enhances the restoration of lean body mass and facilitates the maintenance of weight loss. Obesity in rats was produced by 16 weeks of high fat diet (HF) feeding. In the 17th week, all HF-fed obese rats were fed a limited amount of control diet to normalize their body weights, but they still had more body fat content. The HF-fed rats were then divided into subgroups with different diets offered for 5 weeks: HP, HF or chow diet. A control group was fed the chow diet throughout the study. HP feeding maintained normal body weight and carcass composition in weight-reduced obese rats by reducing feeding efficiency levels to within normal ranges. Weight-reduced rats fed a chow diet, however, had more fat mass than controls and HF feeding stimulated weight gain again. Therefore, a HP diet has a higher probability of enhancing weight loss maintenance in weight-reduced obese subjects than does a usual well-balanced diet.     

Diet composition determines course of hyperphagia in developing Zucker obese rats

Previous observations from this laboratory indicate that, during growth, the hyperphagia of the male genetically obese Zucker rat reaches a peak or "breakpoint" and then declines. To examine the effect of dietary macronutrient content on the course of hyperphagia, groups of male lean and obese rats were maintained from 5-28 weeks of age on powdered chow, or isocaloric diets (3.6 kcal/g) containing 72% of calories as corn oil, dextrose, or soy isolate protein (n = 5 lean and obese rats/diet). On chow, hyperphagia was maintained at a level of 7-8 g above lean control intake until a "breakpoint" was reached at 17 weeks, and obese intake declined to lean control level. On the fat diet, hyperphagia was increased to 10 g/day when a breakpoint was reached at 8 weeks. On the dextrose and protein diets, hyperphagia at a level of 3-4 g/day reached breakpoints at weeks 18 and 16, respectively. On all diets, the intakes of obese rats were precisely equal to the intakes of lean control rats by weeks 19-20. These data show that the magnitude and duration of hyperphagia in the developing obese rat are influenced by diet composition. Previously, we have proposed that the obese rat's hyperphagia arises from rapid adipocyte filling. Since high-fat diets facilitate adipocyte enlargement, the early "breakpoint" of hyperphagia seen with the high-fat diet may indicate that this feeding stimulation decreases as the fat cells of the obese rat approach maximal size.     

Consumption of a high-fat diet alters the homeostatic regulation of energy balance

Humans in many countries are currently experiencing what has been called an epidemic of obesity. That is, the average body weight (and amount of fat stored in the body) is increasing over years, carrying with it a multitude of associated medical, psychological, and economic problems. While there is no shortage of possible causes of this epidemic, increased availability and consumption of high-fat (HF), calorically dense and generally quite palatable food is often touted as a likely culprit. In order to better assess the impact of consuming a diet with those qualities, we have developed a well-controlled animal model in which the effects of chronic consumption of a high-fat diet can be dissociated from those of becoming obese per se. Long-Evans rats are fed one of two semipurified pelleted diets, a HF diet that contains 20% fat by weight and a low-fat (LF) diet that contains 4% fat by weight. Pair-fed animals consume the HF diet but are limited to the daily caloric intake of LF rats. Another group receives pelleted chow. Relative to animals consuming diets low in fat, HF animals weigh more, have more carcass fat, are hyperinsulinemic and hyperleptinemic, and are insulin resistant. HF-fed animals, independent of whether they become obese or not, also have central insulin and MTII insensitivity. Finally, HF rats have a down-regulated hypothalamic apo A-IV system that could contribute to their hyperphagia.     

Decreased pancreatic CCK receptor binding and CCK-stimulated amylase release in Zucker obese rats

In Zucker obese rats the response to the effects of CCK on food intake and pancreatic exocrine function are decreased. However, it is unknown whether the decreased responsiveness is due to decreased receptor number and/or sensitivity or abnormal circulating concentrations of CCK. In these experiments percent total binding of 125I-CCK-33 to pancreatic acini from obese rats was one-half that in lean rats when data was expressed on a per microgram DNA basis (19.6 +/- 5.1 vs. 47.4 +/- 11.4, p less than 0.01). In a second experiment while the maximally effective dose of CCK for stimulating amylase secretion from dispersed pancreatic acini was similar in obese and lean rats (10(-10) M), less amylase was secreted in obese rats across the dose range tested (p less than 0.001). In contrast, carbachol had similar potency and efficacy in stimulating amylase release from obese and lean pancreatic acini. The increase of pancreas size by use of a trypsin inhibitor was greater in lean than obese rats (p less than 0.03). In addition, stimulation of amylase release by CCK from obese trypsin inhibitor-treated compared with control obese rats was greater than that from lean trypsin inhibitor-treated compared with control lean rats (p less than 0.002). However, overall, stimulation of amylase secretion by CCK was only 36% of control (p less than 0.001) and by carbachol was only 20% of control (p less than 0.001). Thus, increased size by increased cell number was associated with decreased response per cell.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of CCK antibodies on food intake and weight gain in Zucker rats

While exogenous administration of cholecystokinin (CCK) decreases food intake in many species, it has not been demonstrated conclusively that CCK is necessary for satiety to occur. In these experiments the role of CCK in eliciting satiety was further investigated by using endogenously produced and exogenously administered antibodies to CCK which were hypothesized to sequester circulating CCK. In the first experiment Zucker obese (n = 12, 192 +/- 16 g) and lean (n = 12, 152 +/- 11 g) male rats were administered CCK-8 conjugated to bovine serum albumin or bovine serum albumin by subcutaneous administration in Freund's adjuvant. Average percent binding of 125I-gastrin-17 by serum taken 4, 8 and 12 weeks after treatment initiation was increased (19.9 vs. 2.1, p less than 0.001) in rats treated with CCK conjugate than controls, and the increase was greater in lean (27.5 vs. 1.9) than in obese (12.2 vs. 2.2, p less than 0.001) rats. In lean, but not obese rats, average daily food intake and weight gain were increased (9 and 17% p less than 0.04 and p less than 0.02 respectively) in rats with CCK-AB compared with rats with no CCK-AB during the three months. Development of CCK-AB did not affect food intake response to exogenously administered CCK-8 or pancreas weight relative to body weight. In Experiment 2 increased food intakes of obese and lean rats 30 min after intraperitoneal injection of rabbit serum with CCK-AB were greater than those after intraperitoneal injection of rabbit serum without CCK-AB (1.92 vs. 1.41, g, p less than 0.007).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Influence of high-fat feeding, diet-induced obesity, and hyperamylinemia on the sensitivity to acute amylin

Obesity results in the increased secretion of various hormones controlling food intake and body weight, such as leptin, and insulin; increased circulating levels of pancreatic amylin have also been described in obese humans and rodents. Because leptin-resistance is present in diet-induced obese (DIO) rats, and because hyperleptinemia seems necessary for the full development of leptin resistance, we tested whether amylin sensitivity is inversely correlated with adiposity, such that DIO reduces the anorectic action of acute amylin. We also determined if hyperamylinemia leads to a change in amylin sensitivity. In the first experiment, rats were chronically exposed to a high fat (HF; 60% fat) diet or fed standard chow for control. The anorectic response to amylin was tested on several occasions over a 14 week observation period. HF feeding led to the expected increase in body adiposity; the response to an acute amylin injection (5 - 50 μg/kg s.c.) was unaltered for 10 weeks of HF feeding. Even after 12 weeks on a HF diet, which clearly caused obesity, acute administration of amylin (5 μg/kg, s.c.) was still able to suppress food intake, although the suppression was not statistically significant. Further experiments using additional doses of amylin will be necessary to demonstrate possible amylin resistance after HF feeding or in DIO rats. In the second experiment, we tested more specifically whether hyperamylinemia that may result from HF feeding and subsequent obesity, reduces the sensitivity of the amylin signaling system. To avoid confounding factors, we chronically infused lean chow fed rats with amylin (5 or 10 μg/kg/day s.c.) to elevate their plasma amylin concentration to levels observed in obese rats (30 - 40 pM). In the absence of obesity, hyperamylinemia did not lead to a reduced sensitivity to acute amylin (5 - 20 μg/kg s.c.) injections; acute amylin reduced eating similarly in all groups of rats. Overall, we concluded that direct diet effects by short term exposure to HF appear to be of little importance for amylin sensitivity; further, long-term maintenance on a HF diet and the resulting obesity only slightly attenuated the anorectic response to acute amylin. Because we observed no marked changes in amylin sensitivity in lean, chow fed rats with induced hyperamylinemia, amylin receptor downregulation in chronic hyperamylinemia does not seem to occur.     

Feeding response to melanocortin agonist predicts preference for and obesity from a high-fat diet

Overconsumption and increased selection of high fat (HF) foods contribute to the development of common obesity. Because the hypothalamic melanocortin (MC) system plays an integral role in the regulation of food intake and dietary choice, we tested the hypothesis that proneness (-P) or resistance (-R) to dietary-induced obesity (DIO) may be due to differences in MC function. We found that prior to developing obesity and while still maintained on chow, acute, central administration of MTII, an MC agonist, produced a greater anorectic response in DIO-P rats than in DIO-R rats. However, after only 5 days of exclusive HF feeding, the DIO-R rats had significantly greater suppression of intake after MTII treatment than they did when maintained on chow. In addition, the DIO-P rats were much less responsive to MTII treatment than the DIO-R rats after only 5 days of the HF diet. In fact, MTII-induced anorexia during HF feeding correlated negatively with body weight gained on the HF diet. These results suggest that the voluntary decrease of HF feeding in DIO-R rats may be mediated by increased endogenous MC signaling, a signal likely compromised in DIO-P rats. Differences in MC regulation may also explain the observed preference for HF over a lower fat food choice in DIO-P rats. Finally, the results indicate that responses to exogenous MC challenge can be used to predict proneness or resistance to DIO.     

Effects of alternations (10 days) of high-fat with normal diet on liver lipid infiltration, fat gain, and plasma metabolic profile in rats

The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that short-term alternations of high-fat with normal chow feeding result in higher fat accumulation in liver than continuous intake of the same high-fat diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (7 weeks of age) were divided into 3 groups according to diet composition: standard chow (SD; 12,5% kcal as fat), high-fat (HF; 42% kcal as fat), and food cycles (FC) consisting of 10-day alternations between HF and SD diets beginning with the high-fat diet. Rats in each of these 3 groups were sacrificed after 10, 30, and 50 days (n = 10 rats/sub-groups). Energy intake, body weight, liver and muscle relative weights were not significantly (P > 0.05) different between FC- and HF-fed rats. Using the total energy intake for the 50-day period, it was calculated that approximately 30% less calories as fat was ingested in the FC- compared to the HF-fed rats. In spite of this, liver lipid infiltration as well as fat accretion in abdominal adipose tissues were increased (P < 0.01) similarly in FC- and HF-fed rats. Plasma FFA and insulin levels depicted strong tendencies (P < 0.07) to be higher in FC- than in continuous HF-fed rats at the end of the 50-day period. These results indicate that, despite a 30% reduction in ingested lipids, alternations of HF with normal chow diet compared to the continuous hyperlipidic diet caused the same level of infiltration of lipids in the liver and in the abdominal adipose tissues and, to a certain extent, may even result in a larger deterioration of the metabolic profile.     

Satiety in the obese Zucker rat: effects of carbohydrate type and acarbose (Bay g 5421)

Despite the obese Zucker rat's hyperphagia on carbohydrate diets such as laboratory chow, this laboratory has found that its satiety response to glucose and other simple sugars is comparable to that of its lean control rat. To further investigate carbohydrate satiety in the Zucker rat, the short-term feeding behavior of obese and lean rats was observed following intragastric infusions (7.2 kcal in 10 ml) of corn starch and the starch hydrolysates Polycose and dextrin. There were no reliable between-genotype differences in the feeding inhibitory effects of Polycose and dextrin. However, in obese rats, the satiety effect of corn starch was delayed and reduced compared to that observed in lean rats (p less than 0.04). To modify the effect of corn starch, rats were administered 0.2 or 0.6 mg/infusion of the carbohydrate digestive inhibitor acarbose (Bay g 5421). Acarbose significantly reduced the satiety effect of corn starch in lean rats (p less than 0.001), and further attenuated satiety in obese rats (p less than 0.02). Since secretion of pancreatic amylase, the enzyme that initiates starch digestion, is decreased in obese rats, this result suggests that alterations of digestive and/or absorptive processes may underlie the obese rat's impaired satiety response to complex carbohydrate.     

Meal-stimulated increased concentrations of CCK in the hypothalamus of Zucker obese and lean rats

CCK is a putative satiety peptide found to be active when administered peripherally and centrally. Concentrations of CCK have been measured in the brains of fed and fasted animals, but as yet no clear correlation with feeding has been found. In the present experiment rats were sacrificed after a 6-hr fast or 5 min after a meal. Areas of the hypothalamus were removed from these rats and assayed for CCK content. The relationship between obesity and CCK content in specific areas of the brain was also investigated by using Zucker obese and lean rats. In fed rats the CCK concentrations were higher than in fasted rats in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) (56 vs. 42 pg/mg tissue, p less than 0.005), lateral hypothalamus (38 vs. 27 pg/mg, p less than 0.01) and supraoptic nucleus (48 vs. 39 pg/mg, p less than 0.01). In obese rats the concentrations were higher than in lean rats in the VMH (56 vs. 41 pg/mg, p less than 0.003), dorsal medial hypothalamus (37 vs. 30 pg/mg, p less than 0.04) and anterior hypothalamus (61 vs. 37 pg/mg, p less than 0.001). Average concentrations of CCK in all hypothalamic areas were higher in females than males (50 vs. 40 pg/mg, p less than 0.001). Thus, CCK concentrations in specific areas of the hypothalamus increased with feeding, supporting the potential role of CCK in the central nervous system as a satiety peptide. Further, although the concentrations of CCK in obese rats were higher than those in lean rats, the changes in CCK concentration with feeding were the same, showing that obesity is not a consequence of decreased concentrations or concentration changes of CCK in brain.     

Energy balance and hypothalamic effects of a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet

Diets high in fat or protein and extremely low in carbohydrate are frequently reported to result in weight loss in humans. We previously reported that rats maintained on a low-carbohydrate-high fat diet (LC-HF) consumed similar kcals/day as chow (CH)-fed rats and did not differ in body weight after 7 weeks. LC-HF rats had a 45% decrease in POMC expression in the ARC, decreased plasma insulin, and increased plasma leptin and ghrelin. In the present study we assessed the effects of a low-carbohydrate-high-protein diet (HP: 30% fat, 65% protein, and 5% CHO) on body weight, caloric intake, plasma hormone levels and hypothalamic gene expression. Male rats (n=16) were maintained on CH or HP for 4 weeks. HP rats gained significantly less weight than CH rats (73.4+/-9.4 and 125.0+/-8.2 g) and consumed significantly less kcals/day (94.8+/-1.5 and 123.6+/-1.1). Insulin was significantly reduced in HP rats (HP: 1.8+/-0.6 vs. CH: 4.12+/-0.8 ng/ml), there were no differences between groups in plasma leptin and plasma ghrelin was significantly elevated in HP rats (HP: 127.5+/-45 vs. CH: 76.9+/-8 pg/ml). Maintenance on HP resulted in significantly increased ARC POMC (HP: 121+/-10.0 vs. 100+/-5.9) and DMH NPY (HP: 297+/-82.1 vs. CH: 100+/-37.7) expression compared to CH controls. These data suggest that the macronutrient content of diets differentially influences hypothalamic gene expression in ways that can affect overall intake.     

Independent effects of diet palatability and fat content on bout size and daily intake in rats

Although considerable evidence attests to the hyperphagic effects of high-fat (HF) diets, the attribute(s) of these diets (e.g., palatability, caloric density, and postingestive effects) which promote overeating is still unclear. The present studies investigated the independent effects of diet palatability and macronutrient composition on intake using the self-regulated intragastric infusion paradigm. In Experiment 1, rats were infused with either HF or high-carbohydrate (HC) diet while drinking either saccharin (Sacc) or a more palatable saccharin-glucose (SaccGlu) test solution for 9 days. HF elicited greater daily intake than HC; lick pattern analysis revealed that HF produced larger but not more frequent bouts. Test solution was not related to intake, possibly due to the relatively modest palatability manipulation. Experiment 2 provided a more sensitive test: The palatability manipulation was strengthened and diet infusion made optional by provision of chow. HF again elicited larger bout size and total daily intake (diet+chow) than HC. Rats given the more palatable solution significantly increased intake (via larger bouts) and thus the amount of diet infused, but chow intake decreased such that total kilocalorie intake was not significantly related to solution palatability. The reliable observation that HF promoted larger bout size and greater total kilocalorie intake than HC provides additional evidence that fat sends weaker feedback signals relevant to controls of both satiation (suppression of ongoing eating, behaviorally manifest in meal size) and satiety (suppression of subsequent intake, reflected in total daily intake).     

No persistent effect of preweaning nutrition on postweaning food intake, feeding efficiency, or body energy stores in Long-Evans rats.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of pre- and postweaning nutrition on body mass, body fat, and feeding efficiency in Long-Evans rats up to a period of 18 weeks following weaning. Female rats were bred and pups were redistributed to form large (14-19 pups), normal (11-13 pups) and small (4 pups) litter groups. Weaned rats were housed as pairs (40 pairs) or singletons (n = 16) and fed either a mixed-fat diet (36.6% fat) or a standard chow diet (13.5% fat). Food intake, body mass, and feeding efficiency were measured at 4, 8, 12, and 18 weeks postweaning. Total body fat and depot fat pad mass were also measured at 18 weeks postweaning. At weaning, pups from small litters were fatter (p less than 0.001), and had a greater mass (p less than 0.03) than pups from large litters. There were no persistent effects of preweaning litter size after covarying for preweaning mass on body mass, and postweaning growth, food intake, feeding efficiency, or body fat accretion. Male rats ingesting the mixed-fat diet had a greater body mass (p less than 0.05), greater body fat accretion (p less than 0.008) and a higher feeding efficiency (p less than 0.001) than their chow-fed counterparts, despite an overall lower energy intake (p less than 0.05). Female rats ingesting the mixed-fat diet had a lower food energy intake (p less than 0.005) and a greater feeding efficiency (p less than 0.001) than chow-fed rats during the early postweaning period, only. Thus, postweaning nutrition may play a more important role in postweaning adult mass and depot fat in freely eating rats than early nutritional experiences.     

The effect of TNFα on food intake and central insulin sensitivity in rats

Circulating and tissue levels of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) are elevated in obesity. TNFα interferes with insulin signaling in many tissues and also plays a causal role in the anorexia that accompanies severe challenges to the immune system. The interactions between TNFα and insulin in the control of eating are less well known. The present study evaluated the role of TNFα in the central nervous system control of food intake by insulin in adult male Long Evans rats. We first determined the ability of several doses of TNFα injected into the 3rd cerebral ventricle (i3vt) to reduce food intake in male rats. Subsequently, we assessed the ability of a subthreshold dose of TNFα to modulate the effect of i3vt insulin on food intake in male rats fed a low-fat chow or a high-fat (HF) diet. TNFα administered i3vt dose-dependently reduced food intake in rats fed a standard low-fat chow diet. Moreover, a low, sub-threshold dose of TNFα diminished the reduction in food intake by insulin in rats maintained on a chow diet, but enhanced insulin action in rats maintained on a HF diet. These data suggest that the interaction of TNFα with central insulin varies with nutritional and/or dietary conditions.     

Effects of high fat,protein supplemented diets on maternal behavior in rats

Female albino rats were maintained on either chow, a 25% fat, protein supplemented diet or a 45% fat, protein supplemented diet during breeding, gestation and lactation. Materanal behavior was assessed using observational techniques. Maternal bodyweight of the females on the high fat diets was not different from females on chow. Reproductive success, as indicated by pregnancy and pup survival, was reduced in the females on the 45% fat diet. However, unlike offspring of obese dams, pup growth was enhanced in most of the offspring of the dams on the high fat, protein supplemented diets. The dams on these diets showed more postural nursing, less non-postural nursing, more pup grooming and were observed more frequently with a majority of their pups. These dietary differences in maternal behavior did not appear to be necessarily due to differences in the body weight of the pups.     

Sham feeding is inhibited by dietary-induced obesity in rats

A group of six female, albino rats were maintained on a cafeteria diet of cookies, milk, and elevated-fat (shortening), rat-chow mixture and rat chow while a similar group received only rat chow ad lib for 17 weeks. When the groups differed significantly in mean body weight (obese-387.5 g, controls-287.2 g; p less than 0.001), gastric fistulas were implanted in each animal. After recovery, the rats were adapted to a liquid diet and assessed for sham feeding. Control-fed, normal-body-weight subjects showed substantial sham feeding when ingesting the Vivonex with the fistulas open compared to fistula-closed intake; meal frequency, meal size (apart from the initial meal) and total food intake were significantly increased while the satiety ratios following each meal were significantly decreased. Obese animals showed no significant increased feeding and satiety ratios were unreliably altered; while normal-body-weight controls increased 4-hr food intakes by 93% and halved their mean satiety ratios the obese animals showed an 8% increase in 4-hr food intake and only a 22% decrease in mean satiety ratios. We offer the hypothesis that, when animals are induced to become obese by palatable and varied diets which are then terminated, the anorexia produced is independent of gastrointestinal interactions inasmuch as that anorexia extends to sham feeding.     

Chronic food restriction and reduced dietary fat: risk factors for bouts of overeating

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of chronic food restriction and reduced dietary fat on feeding behavior and body weight. Young female rats were fed ad lib or food restricted on a low-fat (LF) or a fat-free (FF) diet for 4 weeks. Rats then received 24-h free access to 2 diets, the maintenance diet (LF or FF) plus a novel high-fat (HF) diet (24-h intake test). After the test, all the rats were allowed chronic free access to the HF diet until body weight was stable. During the 24-h test, the restricted groups ate significantly more calories than the ad lib groups, and the FF-restricted rats ate significantly more total food, carbohydrate and protein than the LF-restricted rats; there were no differences between the two ad lib groups. During chronic free access to the HF diet, the formerly restricted rats achieved and defended lower body weights than the formerly non-restricted rats. Throughout the experiment, the ad lib groups had more body fat than the restricted groups independent of the dietary subgroup. Hence, a history of chronic food restriction predisposes to consuming more food in acute feeding situations, particularly when dietary fat is reduced, and lowers the level of body weight maintained and defended. Chronic food restriction accompanied by reduced dietary fat may increase risk for bouts of overeating.     

Effects of abuse pattern of gestational toluene exposure on metabolism, feeding and body composition

AIMS: Inhalant abuse during pregnancy lowers birth weight and impedes early development. These studies explored the effects of brief, repeated, prenatal toluene exposures in pregnant female rats on body weight, metabolic rate, body composition, and food intake in their offspring. METHOD: Rats were exposed to 0, 8000, 12,000, or 16,000 ppm of toluene twice daily for 15 min from gestational days 8 to 20. The effects of such exposures on post-weaning litter weights, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide output, and body fat content were determined in 2 cohorts (n=23, n=24) of offspring. Food intakes and weight changes in response to 3 different diets (regular chow, purified diet, purified high fat diet) were examined in another cohort (n=24) from postnatal days 72 to 116. RESULTS: Litter weights showed a significant linear decrease as a function of toluene dose. Offspring exposed to the 16,000 ppm toluene dose displayed statistically lower energy expenditures than control rats. Male rats exposed to 8000 or 16,000 ppm toluene had significantly greater percentage of body fat as well as total body fat than the other groups. Toluene also significantly suppressed weight gain over the time chow was consumed compared to the 0 ppm control group. Finally there were trends for a main effect of toluene dose on food intake during chow and during high fat diet consumption, with rats in the 12,000 ppm group consuming more than the 0 ppm group on both diets. DISCUSSION: These data suggest that, in addition to other previously documented abnormalities in neurological development and behavior, the physiological regulation of metabolism and body composition in males as well as food intake and weight gain in both sexes may be altered by prenatal exposure to toluene.     

CCK(1) receptor is essential for normal meal patterning in mice fed high fat diet

Cholecystokinin (CCK), released by lipid in the intestine, initiates satiety by acting at cholecystokinin type 1 receptors (CCK(1)Rs) located on vagal afferent nerve terminals located in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. In the present study, we determined the role of the CCK(1)R in the short term effects of a high fat diet on daily food intake and meal patterns using mice in which the CCK(1)R gene is deleted. CCK(1)R(-/-) and CCK(1)R(+/+) mice were fed isocaloric high fat (HF) or low fat (LF) diets ad libitum for 18 h each day and meal size, meal frequency, intermeal interval, and meal duration were determined. Daily food intake was unaltered by diet in the CCK(1)R(-/-) compared to CCK(1)R(+/+) mice. However, meal size was larger in the CCK(1)R(-/-) mice compared to CCK(1)R(+/+) mice when fed a HF diet, with a concomitant decrease in meal frequency. Meal duration was increased in mice fed HF diet regardless of phenotype. In addition, CCK(1)R(-/-) mice fed a HF diet had a 75% decrease in the time to 1st meal compared to CCK(1)R(+/+) mice following a 6 h fast. These data suggest that lack of the CCK(1)R results in diminished satiation, causing altered meal patterns including larger, less frequent meals when fed a high fat diet. These results suggest that the CCK(1)R is involved in regulating caloric intake on a meal to meal basis, but that other factors are responsible for regulation of daily food intake.     

Consumption of a high-fat diet induces central insulin resistance independent of adiposity

Plasma insulin enters the CNS where it interacts with insulin receptors in areas that are related to energy homeostasis and elicits a decrease of food intake and body weight. Here, we demonstrate that consumption of a high-fat (HF) diet impairs the central actions of insulin. Male Long-Evans rats were given chronic (70-day) or acute (3-day) ad libitum access to HF, low-fat (LF), or chow diets. Insulin administered into the 3rd-cerebral ventricle (i3vt) decreased food intake and body weight of LF and chow rats but had no effect on HF rats in either the chronic or the acute experiment. Rats chronically pair-fed the HF diet to match the caloric intake of LF rats, and with body weights and adiposity levels comparable to those of LF rats, were also unresponsive to i3vt insulin when returned to ad libitum food whereas rats pair-fed the LF diet had reduced food intake and body weight when administered i3vt insulin. Insulin's inability to reduce food intake in the presence of the high-fat diet was associated with a reduced ability of insulin to activate its signaling cascade, as measured by pAKT. Finally, i3vt administration of insulin increased hypothalamic expression of POMC mRNA in the LF- but not the HF-fed rats. We conclude that consumption of a HF diet leads to central insulin resistance following short exposure to the diet, and as demonstrated by reductions in insulin signaling and insulin-induced hypothalamic expression of POMC mRNA.