Highly Palatable and Hypercaloric Foods Chronic Intake Impair Food Control

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of soft drink and/or cafeteria diet consumption on eating behavior and metabolic parameters in rats. Material and Methods: Two months male Wistar rats were treated for twelve weeks, divided into groups: 1) CON: standard chow and water (SCW); 2) CD: cafeteria diet and SCW; 3) CS: caloric soft drink and SCW; 4) NCS: non-caloric soft drink and SCW; 5) CD+CS: cafeteria diet, caloric soft drink and SCW; and 6) CD+NCS: cafeteria diet, non-caloric soft drink and SCW. Results: The cafeteria diet intake resulted in higher energy consumption (p<0.0001), a lipid consumption increase (p<0.0001), and a protein reduction intake (p<0.0001), which contributed to an increase in body weight (p<0.0001) compared to the controls. The CD+NCS group visceral fat reduction may be related to a 17% reduction in sugar consumption, compared to the CD+CS group, and to the soda's caffeine content, with less insulinogenic effect. Conclusion: The animals who received the cafeteria diet consumed more ultra-processed foods, resulting in increased energy consumption, greater weight gain, and visceral fat. On the other hand, animals who received cafeteria diet and non-caloric soft drinks showed a reduction in visceral fat levels compared to the other cafeteria diet groups.