Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a common liver disorder worldwide and is associated with obesity. We investigated effects of obesity and short-term intake of soy protein with isoflavones (SPI) on body weight change, energy intake, liver steatosis, and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and leptin levels. Seventeen lean and seventeen obese (fa/fa) female Zucker rats were randomly assigned to either casein or SPI diet for 8 weeks. Body weight was recorded twice weekly; feed intake was measured weekly. Livers were examined histologically, and serum AST, ALT, and leptin levels were measured. Obese soy-fed (OS) rats gained more weight but had lower liver steatosis than obese casein-fed (OC) rats. Energy intake for OS versus OC rats were only different at weeks 2 and 3. Serum AST and ALT levels were lower in OS versus OC rats. Obesity increased serum leptin levels for both diets. In summary, short-term SPI intake reduced liver steatosis, and the only time points at which the mean energy intakes of OS and OC rats differed were at weeks 2 and 3, where OS rats had a higher mean energy intake, which may have accounted for the increased body weight in OS rats.
Highlights
Obesity has been an epidemic in the United States (US) for more than three decades, and the rate of adult obesity continues to grow
The body weights in grams at the beginning of the experiment were the following: lean casein (LC), 133 ± 5.6 g; lean soy (LS), 140 ± 6.1 g; obese casein (OC), 237 ± 21.1 g; and obese soy (OS), 243 ± 21.2 g
We found that obesity increased liver weight, steatosis score, and body weight for both CAS- and soy protein with isoflavones (SPI)-fed rats (p < 0.0001) and that Obese soy-fed (OS) rats had significantly lower liver steatosis and gained more weight than obese casein-fed (OC) rats (p < 0.0001)
Summary
Obesity has been an epidemic in the United States (US) for more than three decades, and the rate of adult obesity continues to grow. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA) indicated that more than one-third of US adults are obese [1,2]. More than 1.9 billion adults are overweight, and over 600 million adults are obese [3,4]. Obesity is associated with serious health conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancers, hyperlipidemia, and liver steatosis [5]. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the major cause of abnormal liver function in the US and the world, is often associated with obesity. Mortality in individuals with NAFLD is significantly higher than in the general population, with liver-related complications being a common cause of death.
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