Effect of various carbohydrates in a repletion diet after protein depletion on liver lipid content of rats.

Abstract

The effects of shifting from a protein-free diet to a protein repletion diet containing various types of carbohydrates on the liver lipid content were studied. Feed ing a protein-free diet for 14 days followed by the feeding of a protein-repletion diet containing sucrose or fructose, but not starch, dextrin or glucose as the sole carbohydrate source caused the accumulation of liver lipids, although the amount of food consumed by rats fed repletion diets containing various types of carbohydrates for 3 or 6 days was similar except when starch was fed. Furthermore, the liver h'pid level of rats fed the repletion diet containing sucrose tended to be lower than when fructose was fed, whereas liver h'pid content of rats fed a diet containing fructose was higher than that of rats fed a diet containing glucose without previously feeding a protein-free diet. However, its levels were not so high as to produce fatty liver as observed in the case of feeding a protein repletion diet containing sucrose or fructose after protein depletion. Thus, it seemed reasonable to assume that at least two factors are responsible for the accumu lation of lipids in the liver: 1) pretreatment of rats with a protein-free diet and 2) the presence of fructose in the protein repletion diet. J. Nutr. 103: 225-230, 1973.