A hypercaloric pellet-diet cycle induces obesity and co-morbidities in Wistar rats

The present study was carried to develop and analyze the consequences of hypercaloric pellet-diet cycle that promotes obesity in rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly distributed into two groups that received either normal diet (ND; n =32; 3,5 Kcal/g) or a hypercaloric diet (HD; n =32; 4,6 Kcal/g). The ND group received commercial Labina rat feeding while the HD animals received a cycle of five hypercaloric diets over a 14-week period. The effects of the diets were analyzed in terms of body weight, body composition, hormone-metabolite levels, systolic arterial pressure and glucose tolerance at the 5% significance level. The hypercaloric pellet diet cycle promoted an increase in body weight and fat, systolic arterial pressure and a high serum level of glucose, triacylglycerol, insulin and leptin. The HD group also presented an impaired glucose tolerance. In conclusion, the results of this study show that the hypercaloric pellet-diet cycle promoted obesity in Wistar rats and displayed several characteristics that are commonly associated with human obesity, such as high arterial pressure, insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia, hyperinsulinaemia, hyperleptinaemia and dyslipidaemia.