Effects of torula and brewer's yeast diets in obese and lean mice

Obese C57BL/6J-OB mice (ob/ob) and their lean littermates (?/+) were fed either torula yeast-based diet (TY) or brewer's yeast-based diet (BY) for a 23-d experimental period. Obese mice fed the BY diet had significantly lower liver weights than did mice fed the TY diet. Likewise, plasma glucose and insulin were significantly lower in obese mice fed the brewer's yeast diet (BY) than the torula yeast diet (TY). Liver weight and plasma glucose and insulin of lean mice were not significantly affected by diet during the experimental period. Despite the low Cr content of both TY and BY diets, bone Cr of the TY and BY groups was significantly higher than concentrations previously reported for the groups fed casein-based diets. The obese mouse may be particularly sensitive to Cr, making it a valuable model for elucidating effects of other dietary components on chromium status.