Objective Obesity after menopause is a health concern for older females. Changes in the microbiota are likely to occur with this condition. Modifying the microbiota with a prebiotic is a plausible strategy for improving the health of menopausal females. Design and Methods Resistant starch type 2 from high-amylose maize (HAM-RS2) was used as a prebiotic in rats in a 2 × 2 factorial study with two levels of HAM-RS2 (0 or 29.7% of weight of diet) referred to as energy control (EC) and HAM-RS2 diets, respectively; and two levels of surgery, ovariectomized (OVX) and sham. Results In a 6-week, postsurgery recovery period, OVX rats gained more body weight with consumption of a similar amount of food. Subsequently, consumption of HAM-RS2 versus EC diets resulted in reduced abdominal fat in both OVX and sham rats; but when normalized for disemboweled body weight (body weight minus GI tract), there was no effect of surgery, only reduction with HAM-RS2. Targeted bacterial populations were estimated that are known to ferment HAM-RS2 or metabolize the products of that initial fermentation. OVX and sham rats demonstrated increased bacterial levels with dietary HAM-RS2 for all bacteria. Additionally, culture techniques and qPCR provided similar results. Conclusion This study shows that, as expected, OVX increases adiposity. However, contrary to previous effects seen in obese mice, this did not prevent fermentation of HAM-RS2 and consequently, the fat gain associated with OVX was attenuated.
Endocrine obesity is a problem among females in the United States. Our previous studies show that resistant starch (RS) is effective in reducing body weight and fat in normal rats and mice. This study examined the effects of RS on abdominal fat and body weight in ovariectomized (OVX) and sham‐operated (sham) rats. Twenty OVX and 20 sham 10‐week old virgin female Sprague‐Dawley rats were purchased from Harlan. Rats were fed an energy control diet (EC, 3.27 kcal/g) for 6 wk prior to dietary treatment for measurement of energy intake and weight gain in the hyperphagic period after surgery. A 2x2 factorial was used as rats were then blocked by weight into diet treatment groups, and spent 13 wk on either an RS or EC diet. Data comparisons were significant at p < 0.05. OVX rats consumed more energy and gained more weight than sham rats in the pretrial period. For OVX and sham rats, energy intake, total gastrointestinal weight, large intestine/cecum weight (indicator of increased fermentation), and small intestine weight were higher in RS rats compared to EC rats. All abdominal fat pads were lower in RS rats compared to EC rats. RS rats had a lower disemboweled body weight compared to EC rats (p<0.06). This data indicate that RS was effective in lowering abdominal fat in an endocrine form of obesity compared to rats fed the EC diet, despite greater energy intakes for RS rats.Grant Funding Source: NIH and LSU AgCenter
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