We compared, across several physiological variables, rats most and least susceptible to develop obesity when given a high-fat diet. After 4 wk of eating a high-fat diet (60% of calories from fat), rats in the upper (obesity prone, OP) and lower (obesity resistant, OR) quartiles for weight gain were further studied. OP rats ate significantly more than OR rats, but this did not completely explain differences in their susceptibility to dietary obesity. No differences in 24-h energy expenditure were found between groups. OR rats had a significantly lower 24-h respiratory quotient, indicative of a greater relative proportion of fat oxidation and lower plasma levels of free fatty acids (FFA) than OP rats. Thus the ability to avoid dietary obesity produced by a high-fat diet may depend on an ability to increase fat oxidation in response to increased fat intake. Insulin sensitivity, measured by a euglycemic insulin clamp, was significantly higher in OR than OP rats. We cannot determine from these data whether insulin resistance developed as a consequence of elevated FFA levels or whether the ability to oxidize FFA declined as a result of development of insulin resistance. In summary, we propose that rats able to resist becoming obese on a high-fat diet have the ability to adjust the composition of fuel oxidized to the fuel composition of the diet with a minimum increase in body fat. The specific mechanisms by which this occurs are unknown but may be related to effects of diet on insulin sensitivity.
The intent of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between susceptibility to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and skeletal muscle fiber type. Forty-four adult male Wistar rats were given ad libitum access to a HFD (60% of calories from fat) for 4 wk. Rats were then grouped into quartiles for total weight gain, and the top-quartile [obesity prone (OP)] rats were compared with the bottom-quartile [obesity resistant (OR)] rats. OP rats gained 1.5 times as much weight as OR rats. OR rats had a significantly higher proportion of type I muscle fibers in the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle than OP rats both before (determined from a muscle biopsy) and after the HFD feeding period. A greater proportion of type I fibers may be associated with a greater capacity for fat oxidation, which would favor resistance to body fat accumulation. Preexisting differences in muscle fiber composition may play a role in determining susceptibility to dietary obesity.
We examined the effects of weight cycling, produced by bouts of weight loss and regain, on body weight, body composition, dietary fat intake, and energy efficiency. Three groups of adult female Wistar rats were followed for 116 days: control rats (n = 10) were allowed ad libitum access to three mixed diets with protein as a constant proportion of energy and fat provided at 10, 30, and 50% of energy; cycled rats (n = 10) had four bouts of food restriction (50% of baseline intake for 10 days) and refeeding (18-20 days of ad libitum access to the 3 mixed diets); maturity controls (n = 10) were treated identically to controls during the first two cycles and identical to cyclers during the final two weight cycles. At the end of the experiment, we could identify no negative effects of weight cycling on any of the measures taken, and in fact body weight and percentage body fat were lower in cyclers than controls. Dietary fat intake was not altered by weight cycling. In summary, weight cycling did not promote body weight or body fat gain.
Weight cycling, defined as repeated episodes of weight loss followed by weight regain, has been suggested to make rats more energy efficient and produce a state of energy balance favoring accumulation of excess body fat. In addition, weight cycling may favor accumulation of fat in central vs. peripheral adipose depots. In the present study, we gave two groups of female Wistar rats ad libitum access to an obesity-producing high-fat diet (60% of calories from fat). Both groups had previously eaten a low-fat stock diet, but one group had been subjected to three bouts of weight cycling. Rats that were previously weight cycled gained less body weight and body fat when given the high-fat diet than did controls. The lower rate of weight gain was due to a lesser increase in food intake, since daily energy expenditure was significantly lower in previously cycled rats than in controls. In summary, weight cycling does not appear to predispose rats to becoming obese on a high-calorie diet and apparently produces some effect on food intake that reduces, at least in the short run, weight gain on the high-calorie diet.
The effects of differences in meal frequency on body weight, body composition, and energy expenditure were studied in mildly food-restricted male rats. Two groups were fed approximately 80% of usual food intake (as periodically determined in a group of ad libitum fed controls) for 131 days. One group received all of its food in 2 meals/day and the other received all of its food in 10-12 meals/day. The two groups did not differ in food intake, body weight, body composition, food efficiency (carcass energy gain per amount of food eaten), or energy expenditure at any time during the study. Both food-restricted groups had a lower food intake, body weight gain, and energy expenditure than a group of ad libitum-fed controls. In conclusion, these results suggest that amount of food eaten, but not the pattern with which it is ingested, has a major influence on energy balance during mild food restriction.
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