Absence of a generalized disaccharide effect in adult female rats

Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were either prefed ground nonpurified diet, starved 48 h, then refed a purified carbohydrate diet for 72 h or shifted from ground nonpurified diet directly to a purified carbohydrate diet for 72 h. Diets were formulated to contain 65% carbohydrate either as the disaccharides maltose or sucrose or as their respective monosaccharide equivalents glucose and invert sugar (glucose: fructose, 1:1). Alternations in hepatic glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) and malic enzyme (ME) activities, relative liver size and food efficiency were determined. Rats starved and refed invert sugar had higher levels of G6PDH and ME than those red glucose, indicating a positive fructose effect. The greatest changes in hepatic enzyme activities were observed in rats consuming diets containing sucrose. Positive fructose and disaccharide effects were obtained with sucrose for all enzymes studied in both dietary shift and starve-refeed studies. No disaccharide effect was observed with maltose. In conclusion, females did not display a generalized disaccharide effect with either dietary shifting or starvation refeeding.