Cafeteria diet and caloric restriction affect metabolic but not behavioral characteristics in male Wistar rats

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a cafeteria diet and caloric restriction on behavioral and metabolic profiles of adult male Wistar rats. The rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 12/group) and from 10 weeks of age fed either ad libitum standard rat chow (control group), ad libitum cafeteria diet in addition to standard chow (diet-induced obesity (DIO) group) or kept on caloric restriction (at 85% weight of controls; restricted group) for a period of 12 weeks. Body weight was assessed twice per week and glucose levels were measured at three times during the 12-week period. At week 11 the animals were behaviorally profiled using the multivariate concentric square field™ (MCSF) test. After 12 weeks of diet the animals were euthanized, blood collected, relative organ weights were assessed and plasma or serum levels of insulin, glucose, and lipid profile were measured. The DIO group gained 23% more weight than the control group (p < 0.001) and increased adipose tissue weight in comparison to the control (p < 0.001) and restricted (p < 0.001) groups. Glucose was significantly increased (p < 0.001) only during the second measurement at week 7 and insulin levels were elevated in the DIO group compared to controls and restricted groups (p < 0.01; p < 0.001, respectively). Plasma cholesterol levels were reduced for both DIO (p < 0.01) and restricted (p < 0.001) groups relative to controls. Adiponectin and leptin levels were higher for the DIO group in comparison to both the control (p < 0.001; p < 0.05) and restricted (p < 0.001; p < 0.001) groups. Thus, the two diets led to significant changes in body weight gain, adiposity, and metabolism. However, they did not alter the behavioral profiles in the MCSF test, suggesting that activity, exploration, risk assessment, risk taking or shelter seeking remained unaffected by the dietary interventions. The current findings suggest that an increase or reduction in energy intake resulted in no behavioral effects, despite the accompanying glycemic alterations potentially related to diabetes development.