Diet influences many aspects of cardiovascular function. Restriction of caloric intake represents a major nonpharmacological means of reducing blood pressure. The aim of the present work was to determine the effects of long-term calorie restriction on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and baroreflex responsiveness of the conscious, normotensive, nonobese Fischer 344 male rat. From 6 wk of age rats ate either ad libitum or 60% of the amount consumed by those eating ad libitum. Calorie restriction had no effect on MAP of rats 12-14 mo of age; the MAP for the ad libitum fed and calorie-restricted groups were 114.6 +/- 1.6 and 111.6 +/- 0.8 mmHg, respectively. Basal heart rate (HR), however, was reduced from 396 +/- 6 beats/min in the libitum-fed group to 333 +/- 5 beats/min in the calorie-restricted group. Administration of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (both as bolus and constant infusion) and phenylephrine (PE) (bolus alone) elicited tachycardia and bradycardia in both groups. The calorie-restricted group exhibited greater baroreflex responsiveness to hypotensive stress than did the ad libitum-fed group. For constant infusion of SNP, the baroreflex gain of the calorie-restricted group (-5.43 +/- 0.56 beats.min-1.mmHg-1) was significantly greater than that of the ad libitum-fed group (-2.14 +/- 0.19 beats.min-1.mmHg-1). Bolus injections of SNP elicited similar results. Calorie restriction only minimally altered the baroreflex responsiveness to hypertensive stress elicited by bolus injections of PE, although the relationship between HR and MAP was shifted to the left in the calorie-restricted group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The effects of aging and caloric restriction on mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and baroreflex sensitivity were determined in young (7-9 months) and old (22-24 months) awake, male Fischer 344 rats which had been either ad libitum fed or calorie restricted (60% of the ad libitum calories). The MAP of young rats was higher than that of old rats. The MAP of old ad libitum fed rats was higher than that of old restricted rats with no effect of diet in young rats. The HR of restricted rats was lower than ad libitum fed rats with no significant age effect. Reflex bradycardia to hypertensive episodes was greater in restricted than in ad libitum fed rats. Reflex tachycardia to hypotensive episodes was greater in young than in old rats and greater in calorie restricted than in ad libitum fed rats. These findings demonstrate that caloric restriction alters the age-associated decline in several hemodynamic parameters.
Rats fed ad libitum (group 1) had little change in fat cell number in epididymal depots from 6 to 27 months of age, but a marked increase in fat cell number in perirenal depots between 6 and 18 months. Food restriction of rats to 60% of group 1 from 6 weeks of age on (group 2) reduced fat cell number in both depots throughout life and prevented an increase between 6 and 18 months in perirenal depots. Food restriction of rats to 60% of group 1 from 6 weeks to 6 months of age and then feeding ad libitum (group 3) markedly reduced fat cell number in both depots at 12 months compared to group 1. However, by 18 months of age, group 3 rats had the same fat cell number as group 1 rats in both depots. Food restriction of rats to 60% of the intake of group 1 started at 6 months of age (group 4) had no effect on fat cell number in epididymal depots but prevented an increase between 6 and 18 months in perirenal fat cell number. Group 5 rats fed ad libitum but restricted in protein (same caloric intake as group 1 rats) had epididymal and perirenal depots with the same characteristics as those of group 1. These findings and others in the literature show that modifying fat cell number is a widely used means of modifying fat mass during both early and adult life.
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