Fatty liver induced in Zucker "fatty" (ff) rats by a semisynthetic diet rich in sucrose

A new fatty liver model is described in which heredity plays a major role. A marked fatty liver develops when the homozygous mutant Zucker rat (ff or "fatty") is fed a semisynthetic diet enriched in sucrose. Lean littermates do not develop fatty liver on this experimental diet. Even old ff rats do not develop fatty livers on chow; the experimental diet is required. The fatty liver is described, including light microscopic and preliminary electron microscopic observations.