Effect of dietary fat on protein intake regulation in young obese and lean mice

Young female obese (ob/ob) and lean mice were allowed to self-select from two diets varying in protein and carbohydrate, protein and fat or carbohydrate and fat for 36 days. Obese and lean mice offered a choice between two diets varying in protein and carbohydrate consumed 35 and 30%, respectively, of energy from protein. When two diets varying in protein and fat were fed, both obese and lean mice initially self-selected a higher percentage of energy from protein than when diets varying in protein and carbohydrate were fed. This pattern was rapidly reversed in lean mice and more gradually reversed in obese mice. By the end of this feeding trial, obese and lean mice were self-selecting 26 and 16%, respectively, of energy from protein. When two diets varying in carbohydrate and fat were fed, young obese mice self-selected only 44 +/- 6% of energy from the high fat diet whereas lean mice self-selected 65 +/- 4% of energy from the high fat diet. The ratio of plasma tryptophan to large neutral amino acids (valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine and tyrosine) showed a strong inverse relationship to protein intake. In summary, replacement of dietary carbohydrate with fat lowered the percentage of energy self-selected as protein. Obese mice, however, continued to consume more energy and more protein than lean mice.