Abstract

The current study was undertaken to determine the effects of the ratios of dietary fat to carbohydrate and energy restriction on insulin sensitivity in the growing rats. Male rats weighting 80-90g were fed experimental diets for two weeks. Rats were killed and epiddymal adipose tissue were removed and sliced. Explants of adipose tissues were incubated for 2 hours in KRB(Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate) buffer containing various concentrations of human insulin and [U-14C]glucose. Insulin sensitivity was determined as glucose conversion to total lipids (lipogenesis) during 2 hr incubation. Exp't I : Effects of Ratios of Fat to Carbohydrate on Insulin Sensitivity. Eighteen male rats were fed 3 diets for 2 weeks. Diet 1 was low fat-high carbohydrate (4% soybean oil and 66.5% cornstarch) ; diet 2, medium fat-medium sarbohydrate(12% soybean oil and 58.5% cornstarch) ; diet 3, high fat-low carbohydrate (20% soybean oil and 50.5% cornstarch). Insulin sensitivity was higher in the order of LF-HC, MF-HC and HF-LC diet groups (p<0.05), i.e, lipogenesis was higher at all insuline concentration in the explants from rats fed LF-HC diet. However, thers was no significant difference in body weight gain and epididymal adipose tissue weight among treatments. Exp't II ; Effects of Energy Restriction on Insulin Sensitivity. Twelve rats were grouped into ad libitum feeding and restricted feeding(70% of ad libitum). The experimental diet was medium fat-medium carbohydrat diet as used in the Exp't I. Restricted feeding group tended to show higher insulin sensitivity compared to ad libitum group. However, there was no statistical difference between two groups. As expected, body weight gain and epididymal adipose tissue were higher in the ad libitum group. In summary, the resutls of the current study showed that the epididymal adipose tissue taken from the rats fed low fat-high carbohydrate diet showed higher insulin sensitivity compared to those fed high fat-low carbohydrate, and that resticted feeding tended to elevate insulin sensitivity in these tissues.

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