Abstract
Obesity is recognized worldwide as a complex metabolic disorder that has reached epidemic proportions and is often associated with a high incidence of cardiovascular diseases. To study this pathology and evaluate cardiac function, several models of diet-induced obesity (DIO) have been developed. The Western diet (WD) is one of the most widely used models; however, variations in diet composition and time period of the experimental protocol make comparisons challenging. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of two different types of Western diet on cardiac remodeling in obese rats with sequential analyses during a long-term follow-up. Male Wistar rats were distributed into three groups fed with control diet (CD), Western diet fat (WDF), and Western diet sugar (WDS) for 41 weeks. The animal nutritional profile and cardiac histology were assessed at the 41st week. Cardiac structure and function were evaluated by echocardiogram at four different moments: 17, 25, 33, and 41 weeks. A noninvasive method was performed to assess systolic blood pressure at the 33rd and 41st week. The animals fed with WD (WDF and WDS) developed pronounced obesity with an average increase of 86.5% in adiposity index at the end of the experiment. WDF and WDS groups also presented hypertension. The echocardiographic data showed no structural differences among the three groups, but WDF animals presented decreased endocardial fractional shortening and ejection fraction at the 33rd and 41st week, suggesting altered systolic function. Moreover, WDF and WFS animals did not present hypertrophy and interstitial collagen accumulation in the left ventricle. In conclusion, both WD were effective in triggering severe obesity in rats; however, only the WDF induced mild cardiac dysfunction after long-term diet exposure. Further studies are needed to search for an appropriate DIO model with relevant cardiac remodeling.
Highlights
Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder recognized worldwide as a significant health concern, and its prevalence has reached epidemic proportions [1]
Randomized rats were fed with a control diet (CD), Western diet fat (WDF), or Western diet sugar (WDS) for 41 weeks (n = 10 for each group)
The rats fed with WDS became heavier than those fed with Control diet (CD) diet from the 12th week of dietary treatment until the end of the study, while rats fed with WDF showed higher body weight than CD rats only after the
Summary
Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder recognized worldwide as a significant health concern, and its prevalence has reached epidemic proportions [1]. The etiology of obesity is complex and Nutrients 2020, 12, 68; doi:10.3390/nu12010068 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients. Nutrients 2020, 12, 68 multifactorial, especially involving environmental and genetic factors. The modern obesity epidemic is undoubtedly the result of environmental determinants and is often associated with a reduction in physical activity and increased intake of diets high in saturated fat and sugars, commonly termed Western diet [3,4]. A number of clinical and animal studies have generated convincing evidence that hemodynamic, neurohormonal, and metabolic alterations, which are commonly found in obesity, contribute to changes in cardiac morphology that may predispose to impaired ventricular function and heart failure [6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
