Effect of palatable hyperlipidic diet on lipid metabolism of sedentary and exercised rats

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to examine 1) whether continuous feeding with a palatable hyperlipidic diet and cycling this diet with chow diet would affect lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in a similar way; and 2) whether the effect of chronic exercise on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism would be modified by these diet regimens. METHODS: Male 25-d-old Wistar rats were assigned to one of six groups: sedentary rats fed with chow diet; exercised (swimming 90 min/d, 5 d/wk) rats fed with chow diet; sedentary rats fed with a palatable hyperlipidic diet; exercised rats fed with the palatable hyperlipidic diet; sedentary rats fed with food cycles (four cycles alternating the chow and hyperlipidic diets weekly); and exercised rats fed with food cycles. After 8 wk of treatment, the animals were killed 24 h after the last exercise session. RESULTS: The hyperlipidic diet and food cycles schedules caused similar increases in body weight gain, carcass lipogenesis rate and adiposity, lipid content of the liver and gastrocnemius muscle, and serum total lipid, triacylglycerol, insulin, and leptin levels. The exercise attenuated body weight gain, adipose tissue mass, and serum triacylglycerol, insulin, and leptin levels similarly in the hyperlipidic and food cycles groups. Carcass lipogenesis rate was not affected by exercise in any of the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: The data showed that the continuous intake of a hyperlipidic palatable diet for 8 wk and the alternation of the high-fat intake with periods of chow intake cause obesity and affected lipid metabolism in a similar way. Chronic exercise attenuated body weight gain and adiposity and improved serum lipid concentrations in both high-fat feeding regimens.     

Influence of Dietary Fats Upon Systolic Blood Pressure in the Rat

Studies were performed to determine whether feeding diets with differing fatty acid content and composition had an influence on systolic blood pressure in the rat. Weanling male rats were fed standard laboratory chow (2.9% fat in total), or synthetic diets (10% fat in total) containing fish oil, butter, coconut oil or corn oil, for 5 weeks. Coconut oil and butter diets were rich in saturated fatty acids, whilst fish oil and corn oil were rich in the n-3 and n-6 unsaturated fatty acids respectively. Systolic blood pressure was measured using an indirect tail-cuff method at the end of the feeding period, and compared to a group of weanling rats.

Feeding the different diets did not alter the growth of the rats, so all animals were of similar weights at the time of blood pressure determination. Control (chow fed) animals, at nine weeks of age, had higher systolic blood pressures than the weanling, baseline control group. Fish oil fed rats had similar pressures to the chow fed rats. Corn oil fed rats had significantly lower systolic pressures than the controls. The rats fed the diets rich in saturated fatty acids (butter and coconut oil) had significantly higher blood pressures than all other groups. Systolic blood pressure was found to be significantly related to the dietary intakes of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The dietary intake of linoleic acid was significantly higher in corn oil fed rats than in other groups. Systolic blood pressure was inversely related to linoleic acid intake. Feeding a diet rich in saturated fatty acids significantly increases blood pressure in the rat. A high intake of n-6 fatty acids, and in particular linoleic acid, appears to have a hypotensive effect. Prenatal exposure of the rats to a maternal low protein diet, abolished the hypertensive effects of the coconut oil diet and the hypotensive effect of the corn oil diet upon young adult females. The intrauterine environment may, therefore, be an important determinant of the effects of these fatty acids on blood pressure in later life.     

Modulation of UDPglucuronosyltransferase activity in rats by dietary lipids

Male Wistar rats were fed for 40 d a purified diet whose lipid source (60 g/kg diet) was coconut, peanut, corn or fish (herring) oil. A low lipid (lipid-deficient) diet (corn oil, 2 g/kg diet) was also fed to some rats. There were no significant differences in final body weights of rats fed the coconut, peanut, and corn oil diets. Rats fed the fish oil diet gained less weight than those fed any other diet. However, liver weight, ratio of liver to body weight, and protein content were not affected by any of the diets. The plasma cholesterol concentration of rats fed fish oil was lower than that of the other groups of rats. This diet resulted in the highest cytochrome P-450 concentration and markedly enhanced epoxide hydrolase activity. No difference in the level in cytochrome P-450 was noted between the groups of rats fed the vegetable oils. Epoxide hydrolase activity was also significantly higher with the corn oil diet. Interestingly, only glucuronidation of group I substrates was stimulated by the fish or corn oil diets and lowered by the coconut oil diet. Liver microsomes of rats fed fish oil contained a high level of lipid peroxides; this diet greatly stimulated NADPH-dependent peroxidation. The differential stimulation of UDPglucuronosyltransferase activity towards group I substrates could be the results of a toxic action of the fish oil diet as suggested by the concomitant enhancements of epoxide hydrolase, transaminase activities and peroxide content.     

Diet effects on membrane phospholipid fatty acids and mitochondrial function in BHE rats

The effects of feeding a 5% corn oil or coconut oil diet on the composition of hepatic phospholipid fatty acids and on hepatic mitochondrial function were studied. Male BHE weanling rats were fed a 65% starch diet containing 5% corn or coconut oil. Rats were decapitated, and hepatic tissue was used for phospholipid fatty acid analysis and for the preparation of mitochondria. Mitochondrial ATPase activity, alpha-glycerophosphate and malate-aspartate shuttle activity, and succinate- or pyruvate-supported respiration were determined. Livers from rats fed the coconut oil diet had more saturated phospholipid fatty acids than those from rats fed the corn oil diet. ATPase activity and the activity of the malate-aspartate shuttle were not affected by diet. The activity of the alpha-glycerophosphate shuttle was greater in rats fed the coconut oil diet than in rats fed the corn oil diet. Succinate-supported state 3 respiration was not affected by diet, whereas succinate-supported state 4 respiration was higher in mitochondria from rats fed coconut oil than in rats fed corn oil. Evidence of uncoupling of pyruvate-supported respiration from ATP synthesis was observed in mitochondria from rats fed coconut oil but not in rats fed corn oil. These observations suggest that the inherent tendency of the BHE rat toward looser coupling of respiration to ATP synthesis is potentiated by the feeding of the highly saturated fat, hydrogenated coconut oil.     

Effect of dietary fat on sodium transport and sodium-lithium countertransport in rat erythrocytes and thymocytes

Two groups of normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high fat diets (40% of calories derived from fat). One group received a diet high in polyunsaturated fat (corn oil 45% polyunsaturated), and the other a diet high in saturated fat (coconut oil). Growth rates were the same in both groups. Sodium transport was measured in isolated thymocytes from both groups. The rats fed the diet high in polyunsaturated fat had lower sodium efflux rate constants than those fed the diet high in saturated fat. The reduction was almost entirely confined to the ouabain-sensitive portion of sodium efflux. Sodium-lithium countertransport in isolated thymocytes and erythrocytes was the same for both groups.     

The effect of dietary fat and salt on blood pressure,renal and aortic prostaglandins

The pressor effects of fat and salt were examined in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats fed high carbohydrate (5% corn oil), high salt (8% NaCl) diets demonstrated significant elevations in blood pressure within one week of diet introduction which persisted throughout the 9 week experimental period. High saturated fat (5% corn oil-15% coconut oil) diets promoted a significant elevation in blood pressure, irrespective of the level of dietary salt. High dietary salt, as opposed to basal levels, tended to decrease the blood pressure of rats fed a diet containing all unsaturated fat (20% corn oil). The greatest percent increase in the renal vasodilator prostaglandin E₂ was measured in rats fed the high unsaturated-basal salt diet compared to all other dietary treatments. A hypervolemic effect of high levels of dietary salt was demonstrated in the high carbohydrate, all unsaturated fat and high saturated fat groups. These results demonstrate that the amount and type of dietary fat interact with the level of dietary salt to influence blood pressure in rats.     

Macronutrient selection in rats: effect of fat type and level

The effect of type and level of dietary fat on subsequent diet selection was examined in young Sprague-Dawley rats. Isoenergetic, isonitrogenous diets composed of corn oil or tallow (commercial grade), each at 5 or 34%, were fed to rats for 2 wk, and their preference for diets covarying in carbohydrate and protein was subsequently tested. When compared to either of the corn oil groups or the 5% tallow group, rats previously fed the high tallow diet selected more protein and less carbohydrate. Subsequent experiments testing the effects of 5, 20 or 34% tallow indicated that this preference for protein was induced by exposure to the tallow diets for only 18 h. In addition, the 34% tallow group selected more protein than did rats fed 5 or 20% tallow. Tests of diet selection with 5 or 34% corn oil, tallow or hydrogenated coconut oil indicated that rats fed 34% tallow ate significantly more protein than the 34% corn oil group. Furthermore, animals fed a 34% pure, additive-free tallow diet exhibited a preference for protein. These studies suggest that the type and level of dietary fat interact to influence dietary selection.     

Reversal of the promotional effect of high-fat diet on mammary tumorigenesis by subsequent lowering of dietary fat

Female Sprague-Dawley rats were given 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene at 50 days of age to induce mammary tumors, and beginning one week later were fed a high-fat, semipurified diet containing 20% sunflowerseed oil to promote tumor development. After another 7 weeks, when one third of the rats had palpable mammary tumors, the rats were randomly assigned to five groups of 31 animals each, with the same number of tumor-bearers in each group. One group was continued on the high-fat diet, another was given a fat-free diet, and the three remaining groups were fed diets containing 10% lard, butter, or coconut oil, respectively. During the next 29 weeks, rats fed the diets containing 0% or 10% fat developed significantly fewer tumors than those continued on the 20% fat diet. The diets containing 10% fat suppressed tumorigenesis at least as effectively as the fat-free diet. Rats fed the 10% butter and 10% lard diets had growth rates comparable to those fed the 20% sunflowerseed-oil diet throughout, and evidence of essential fatty acid deficiency was seen only in rats on the fat-free diet. These results provide additional evidence that high-fat diets promote development of mammary cancer and suggest that reducing the level of dietary fat might help to prevent the development and recurrence of breast cancer in humans.     

Ethanol effects on lipid peroxidation and glutathione-mediated defense in rat small intestine: Role of dietary fats

The effect of ethanol feeding for 5 weeks on lipid peroxidation status of small intestine was studied in rats maintained on either a rat pellet (RP) or a semisynthetic diet containing coconut oil (CCO), corn oil (CO), or fish oil (FO). Highest rate of iron/ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation was observed in intestinal mucosa of FO-fed rats, which was further elevated (p < 0.05) upon ethanol administration. Purified brush borders from all the ethanol-treated dietary groups were more susceptible to iron-induced lipid peroxidation. Level of nonprotein thiols was increased by ethanol feeding to rats given CO or FO. FO-fed rats exhibited increased activities of glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and catalase (Cat). Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was the lowest in the CCO group. Ethanol-treated FO group exhibited increased GST and GPx activities compared to controls, whereas in rats fed the RP or CO diet, ethanol feeding significantly decreased GST activity. GR and Cat activities were not affected under these conditions. Thus, ethanol exposes the small intestinal mucosa to oxidative stress. The effects were more pronounced in rats fed n-3 fatty acid-rich (FO) diet. The corresponding rise in GPx and GST levels may reflect the adaptive changes in intestine.     

Effect of exercise on tissue lipids and serum lipoproteins of rats fed two levels of fat.

Adult rats were fed a low fat (4%) or a high fat (40%) diet, and groups of other rats selected for good running were fed these two diets and were treadmill exercised 5 days a week for 6 weeks. The serum triglycerides were significantly lower in exercised rats fed the low fat diet, but not in those fed the high fat diet, as compared with corresponding controls. The liver lipids were vastly elevated in sedentary rats fed the high fat diet as compared with those fed the low fat diet. An interesting effect of exercise was reflected by the near normal liver lipid levels in rats fed the high fat diet and exercised. However, in these animals, the muscle concentration of cholesterol was significantly higher than that in all other groups. The very low density lipoproteins tended to be lower while the low density lipoproteins tended to be greater in exercised as compared with sedentary rats. It was suggested that the decline in very low density lipoproteins was due to decreased synthesis resulting from adaptive changes in the exercised animal. It was further postulated that the increase in low density lipoproteins was possibly due to increased synthesis necessitated by the need to enhance the catabolism and excretion of cholesterol in exercised animals.     

Influence of high-fat diet from differential dietary sources on bone mineral density, bone strength, and bone fatty acid composition in rats

Previous studies have suggested that high-fat diets adversely affect bone development. However, these studies included other dietary manipulations, including low calcium, folic acid, and fibre, and (or) high sucrose or cholesterol, and did not directly compare several common sources of dietary fat. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to investigate the effect of high-fat diets that differ in fat quality, representing diets high in saturated fatty acids (SFA), n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), or n-6 PUFA, on femur bone mineral density (BMD), strength, and fatty acid composition. Forty-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained for 65?days on high-fat diets (20% by weight), containing coconut oil (SFA; n = 10), flaxseed oil (n-3 PUFA; n = 10), or safflower oil (n-6 PUFA; n = 11). Chow-fed rats (n = 10), at 105?days of age, were included to represent animals on a control diet. Rats fed high-fat diets had higher body weights than the chow-fed rats (p?< 0.001). Among all high-fat groups, there were no differences in femur BMD (p?> 0.05) or biomechanical strength properties (p?> 0.05). Femurs of groups fed either the high n-3 or high n-6 PUFA diets were stronger (as measured by peak load) than those of the chow-fed group, after adjustment for significant differences in body weight (p = 0.001). As expected, the femur fatty acid profile reflected the fatty acid composition of the diet consumed. These results suggest that high-fat diets, containing high levels of PUFA in the form of flaxseed or safflower oil, have a positive effect on bone strength when fed to male rats 6 to 15?weeks of age.     

褪黑素改善高糖高脂饲养大鼠胰岛素敏感性

目的:观察褪黑素对高糖高脂饲养大鼠胰岛素敏感性的影响。方法:将18只雄性SD大鼠(150~200g)随机分为正常组(CD组)与高糖高脂组(HFSD组),分别饲以正常饲料与高糖高脂饲料(53%基础饲料含蔗糖37%和猪油10%)喂养6个月后,给药治疗2个月;治疗期间,给褪黑素组(Mel组)每天腹腔注射药物褪黑素(Melatonin,Mel,4 mg/kg),对照组腹腔注射生理盐水。测定空腹血糖、胰岛素、甘油三酯(TG)、游离脂肪酸(FFA)、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL—C)水平,做口服葡萄糖耐量实验(OGTT)和胰岛素敏感性实验。结果:高糖高脂饮食可诱导SD大鼠产生胰岛素抵抗,引起SD大鼠空腹血糖、血清胰岛素、TG、FFA水平升高;胰岛素敏感性、HDL—C水平下降。褪黑素治疗后,胰岛素敏感性增强,改善了胰岛素抵抗。结论:Mel能降低高糖高脂饲养SD大鼠糖脂状况,提高胰岛素敏感性,改善胰岛素抵抗。     

Interrelated effects of the type of dietary fat and carbohydrate on cholesterol metabolism in rats

Rats were fed semipurified diets, differing in the amount of cholesterol and the sources of fat (corn oil or coconut fat) and carbohydrate (sucrose or starch). After 21 days dietary corn oil had induced higher serum cholesterol concentrations than did coconut fat, except for on diets with a high-cholesterol, high-sucrose background. On high-cholesterol diets containing coconut fat, dietary sucrose increased serum cholesterol, when compared with starch; with corn oil sucrose tended to lower serum cholesterol. Such a tendency was not seen on cholesterol-free diets. Cholesterol feeding caused a dramatic increase in liver cholesterol with all dietary carbohydrate-fat combinations. Liver cholesterol was higher in rats fed corn oil than in those fed coconut fat. The influence of the type of dietary carbohydrate on liver cholesterol was dependent on the type of fat and the amount of cholesterol in the diet. Thus effects of a single dietary component on serum and liver cholesterol in rats are strongly influenced by the background of the diet. This implies that published results of experiments on diet and cholesterol metabolism in rats cannot be compared readily.     

The influence of dietary fat on mammary tumor metastasis in the rat

Young, virgin female Fischer 344 rats bearing the 13762 transplantable mammary tumor were fed diets containing either 5% (low-fat group) or 23% (high-fat group) corn oil for five weeks before and six weeks after tumor implantation. Animals in the two diet groups gained weight at comparable rates throughout the experiment. There was no significant difference between the low-fat and high-fat groups with respect to average tumor diameter measured twice per week for six weeks. At the time of death (6 weeks after tumor implantation), the lungs of all rats in both diet groups contained some metastatic tumor deposits; the volume of the metastases in the lungs varied widely in both groups. Numbers of metastases to regional lymph nodes and kidneys appeared unaffected by the fat content of the diet. Thus, both growth of the 13762 mammary tumor itself and metastatic spread from the tumor were comparable whether the young rats were fed a high-fat or a low-fat diet.     

Conjugated linoleic acid combined with physical activity reduces body fat accumulation but does not modify lean body mass in male and female Wistar rats

Several biological and clinical studies have suggested that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) prevents body fat accumulation and increases lean body mass. CLA is available as a concentrated dietary supplement and is purported to provide the aforementioned benefits for people who perform physical activity. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a CLA-supplemented diet combined with physical activity on the body composition of Wistar rats. Two groups of Wistar rats of both sexes, between 45 and 60 days old, were fed a diet containing 5.5% soybean oil (control group) or a CLA-supplemented diet (0.5% CLA and 5.0% soybean oil) (test group). Half the rats in both groups were assigned to exercise by running on a treadmill. The biochemical and anatomical body compositions were analyzed. In both groups, CLA had no effect on the dietary consumption or the weight of the liver, heart, and lungs. However, it did influence the overall weight gain of exercised male rats and the chemical and anatomical body composition in exercised and sedentary rats of both sexes. The results confirm that a CLA-supplemented diet with and without physical activity reduced body fat accumulation in rats of both sexes. However, there is no evidence of an increase in the lean body mass of the exercised rats.     

A comparison of dietary fish oil and corn oil in experimental colorectal carcinogenesis

Rats fed either fish oil (n = 16) or corn oil (n = 16) in calorically and nutritionally balanced diets were injected with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine, which is a colorectal specific carcinogen; differential colorectal tumor induction was then measured. In addition, plasma peroxide concentrations were measured in rats in each dietary group as well as in a group receiving a low-fat diet, either with or without prior carcinogen treatment (n = 3 for each of the 6 groups). Tumor incidence did not differ between groups fed corn oil and fish oil. Tumor yield in the left colon was significantly lower in rats fed fish oil (p = 0.0499). Total colorectal tumors induced were also fewer in the rats fed fish oil (p = 0.065). Plasma peroxide concentrations were difficult to interpret because of the wide variation within groups. The data on tumor yield in the left colon support the hypothesis that a diet rich in n-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, may be less supportive of colorectal tumor development than a diet rich in n-6 fatty acids, which is found in corn oil. However, the mechanism by which fish oil decreases tumor induction is still unknown.     

魔芋精粉对二甲肼诱发大鼠结肠癌的影响

用二甲肼诱发大鼠结肠癌的同时，于基础饲料中加入５％或１０％魔芋精粉，另设高脂组，观察对发癌率的影响。实验结果表明结肠癌发生率各实验组与阳性组无显著性差异，高脂组显示一定的促癌作用。本实验未观察到魔芋精粉对诱发的实验性肠癌具有抑制作用。     

Distinct Effects of High-Fat and High-Phosphate Diet on Glucose Metabolism and the Response to Voluntary Exercise in Male Mice

The prevalence of metabolic diseases is rapidly increasing and a principal contributor to this is diet, including increased consumption of energy-rich foods and foods with added phosphates. Exercise is an effective therapeutic approach to combat metabolic disease. While exercise is effective to combat the detrimental effects of a high-fat diet on metabolic health, the effects of exercise on a high-phosphate diet have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we investigated the effects of a high-fat or high-phosphate diet in the presence or absence of voluntary exercise on metabolic function in male mice. To do this, mice were fed a low-fat, normal-phosphate diet (LFPD), a high-phosphate diet (HPD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks and then subdivided into either sedentary or exercised (housed with running wheels) for an additional 8 weeks. An HFD severely impaired metabolic function in mice, increasing total fat mass and worsening whole-body glucose tolerance, while HPD did not induce any notable effects on glucose metabolism. Exercise reverted most of the detrimental metabolic adaptations induced by HFD, decreasing total fat mass and restoring whole-body glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Interestingly, voluntary exercise had a similar effect on LFPD and HPD mice. These data suggest that a high-phosphate diet does not significantly impair glucose metabolism in sedentary or voluntary exercised conditions.     

Relationships of dietary zinc/copper ratios to plasma cholesterol and liver trace mineral deposition in young rats fed saturated and unsaturated fats

The effects of copper and zinc supplements on weight gains, plasma total and high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels and liver trace mineral levels were studied in young rats fed either coconut oil or corn oil. Dietary factors included 1.5 ppm and 6 ppm copper, 7.5 ppm and 30 ppm zinc, and the two fat sources. Weight gains and levels of total and HDL-cholesterol were higher in rats fed corn oil than in rats fed coconut oil. Increases in dietary zinc were associated with increases in total and HDL-cholesterol levels in rats fed corn oil, while increases in copper supplements were associated with decreases in total and HDL-cholesterol levels in rats fed either fat source. Supplements of 30 ppm zinc resulted in decreases in total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratios in rats fed coconut oil but had no apparent effect on these ratios in rats fed corn oil. Thus, zinc may be a more important factor than copper in the reduction of this ratio, particularly if saturated fatty acids predominate in the diet. Increases in dietary copper were associated with increases in liver copper levels of rats fed either fat source. Increases in either dietary copper or zinc resulted in decreases in liver iron deposition in rats fed both fat sources. Results of this study indicate that a dietary zinc/copper ratio of 5 may be required for optimum growth of young rats.