Effects of 2G exposure on lean and genetically obese Zucker rats

Changes in the ambient force environment alter the regulation of adiposity, food intake and energy expenditure (i.e., energy balance). Lean (Fa/Fa) and obese (fa/fa) male Zucker rats were exposed to 2G (twice Earth's normal gravity) for eight weeks via centrifugation to test the hypothesis that the Fa/Fa rats recover to a greater degree from the effects of an increased ambient force environment on body mass and food intake, than do the fa/fa rats which have a dysfunctional leptin regulatory system. The rats (lean and obese exposed to either 1G or 2G) were individually housed in standard vivarium cages with food and water provided ad libitum. The acute response to 2G included a transient hypophagia accompanied by decreased body mass, followed by recovery of feeding to new steady-states. In the lean rats, body mass-independent food intake had returned to 1G control levels six weeks after the onset of centrifugation, and body mass increased towards that of the 1G rats. In contrast, food intake and body mass of the 2G obese rats plateaued at a level lower than that of the 1G controls. Although percent carcass fat was reduced more in the 2G leans vs. 2G obese rats, the latter lost significantly more grams of fat than did the leans. Our data suggest that with respect to food intake and body mass, the lean rats recover from the initial effects of 2G exposure to a greater degree than do the fatty rats, a difference that likely reflects the functionality of the leptin regulatory system in the leans.