High sucrose diet increases visceral fat accumulation in VMH-lesioned obese rats

We have previously reported that metabolic abnormalities in obese subjects are closely related to intraabdominal fat accumulation. In order to clarify the causal relationship between high sucrose intake and intraabdominal visceral fat accumulation, the effects of a high sucrose diet on mesenteric fat weight, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and triglyceride (TG) levels were investigated in bilateral ventromedial hypothalamic-lesioned obese rats (VMH) and control rats (control). The mesenteric fat weight (g)/abdominal subcutaneous fat weight (g) (M/S ratio), a parameter of visceral fat accumulation, was significantly higher in a high sucrose diet fed group (HSD group) (VMH 1.94 +/- 0.71, control 1.63 +/- 0.28) than in a lab chow fed group (LC group) (VMH 1.30 +/- 0.31, control 1.27 +/- 0.33) (P less than 0.01). In addition, the fat cell volume of mesenteric fat deposits was significantly greater in the HSD group (VMH 1.17 +/- 0.26 nl, control 0.24 +/- 0.10 nl) than in the LC group (VMH 0.74 +/- 0.27 nl, control 0.14 +/- 0.07 nl) (P less than 0.001), although the fat cell number did not differ among any experimental rat groups. FPG and TG levels were higher in the HSD group than in the LC group in VMH-lesioned rats, and a significant correlation was observed between mesenteric fat volume and FPG levels (VMH r = 0.58, P less than 0.05; control r = 0.50, P less than 0.05) as well as between mesenteric fat volume and TG levels (VMH r = 0.49, P less than 0.05; control r = 0.56, P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)