Carcass Lipid Research Articles

Effects of litter size and subsequent gold-thioglucose-induced obesity on adipose tissue weight, distribution and cellularity in male and female mice: an age study.

1. Over- or undernutrition of newborn mice was caused by suckling in litters consisting initially of four or eighteen pups. After weaning mice were fed ad lib. At 13 weeks of age some mice from large litters received gold thioglucose (GTG: 600 mg/kg intraperitoneally) to induce hyperphagia, and mice were killed at 13, 19.5, 26, 39 and 52 weeks. 2. Total carcass lipid and the size and number of adipocytes in the inguinal subcutaneous, genital, perirenal and mesenteric depots were determined. 3. Mice, both male and female, raised in small litters were heavier and had more carcass fat at all ages than mice raised in large litters. After GTG-treatment mice from large litters were heavier and fatter than mice raised in small litters. 4. Fat distribution between the depots was related to carcass lipid content and not to treatment. The order of depot development was subcutaneous, parametrial, perirenal and mesenteric in females and epididymal, subcutaneous, perirenal and mesenteric in males. At 13 weeks the depots in males were more developed than those in females. 5. Litter size had no effect on adipocyte volume in female mice at 13 weeks but by 52 weeks small-litter mice had larger cells in all depots and more cells in the parametrial and perirenal depots. 6. Male mice from small litters had bigger cells at 13 weeks in all depots compared with males from large litters but by 52 weeks no significant differences remained. Greater numbers of cells were present only in the perirenal and mesenteric depots of small-litter males at some ages. 7. Depots of GTG-treated large-litter female mice had larger cells than those of small-litter females, while a similar number of cells was found by 52 weeks in all but the perirenal depot, which had significantly more cells. 8. GTG treatment of male mice from large litters also caused bigger cells than in small-litter mice, and an increased depot cell number at earlier ages in all but the epididymal depot. By 52 weeks cell numbers were similar in depots from small-litter and GTG-treated large-litter mice, except for the epididymal depot from the latter which had fewer cells. 9. Increases in cell numbers with age in different depots occurred independently of existing cell mean volume and even of tissue growth, suggesting the presence of an in-built chronology, at least in older mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Use of fat in diets of sheep in hot environments. I. Effects on performance, carcass characteristics and lipid composition of plasma

This study was conducted to determine the effects on productivity, carcass traits and lipid composition of plasma of supplementing, with 5 or 10% animal fat, the diets of sheep reared in hot (38.1°C, 22.5% relative humidity) or cool (26.4°C, 32.8% relative humidity) environments as compared with a control diet with no fat added. Sheep diets supplemented with fat improved the average daily weight gain (ADG) in both environments, but the gain was more pronounced in the hot environment. ADG values of sheep in hot and cool environments were: (1) control: 141.2, 134.9; (2) 5% fat: 158.4, 177.1; (3) 10% fat: 183.3, 177.1. However, feed intake was reduced ( P ≤ 0.05) when fat was added to diets. Feed efficiency (FE) was improved ( P ≤ 0.05) with each increment of dietary fat fortification in both hot and cool environments; the respective values were (1) control: 9.46, 9.33; (2) 5% fat: 7.13, 7.06; (3) 10% fat: 6.59, 5.50. Increased dietary fat elevated ( P ≤ 0.05) cholesterol and phospholipid concentrations in the plasma of sheep in both environments but at a higher level in the cool environment. Plasma triglycerides were unaffected by different dietary and environmental treatments. Carcass composition, in terms of protein, fat and ash, was not significantly affected by dietary fat inclusion or by varying environmental conditions. Dressing percentage (and consequently carcass grade) were, however, adversely affected by increased dietary fat in both environments. The fatty-acid profile of carcass lipid was similar in all experimental sheep, except for palmitoleic acid, which was lower in sheep fed fat-supplemented diets and reared under a cool environment than those reared under a hot environment. The sensory evaluation indicated that meat of animals receiving fat-supplemented diets appeared to have a significantly better flavor than the control but similar degrees of tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptance in both environments. A preliminary economic assessment of adding fat to sheep diets indicated that such a practice was beneficial.

The effects of fasting on some physiological parameters in the meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus

1. 1. The effect of fasting on respiratory quotient (RQ), metabolic rate, blood glucose, liver glycogen, carcass lipids, interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT), and body temperature was investi- gated in Microtus pennsylvanicus. 2. 2. The utilization of carbohydrates during fasting leads to a severe hypoglycemia within 6 hr. 3. 3. The hypoglycemia does not seem to stem from the inability to mobilize glycogen or fat reserves. 4. 4. The hypoglycemic state may be responsible for the decreased SMR and body temperature. 5. 5. The predominant use of carbohydrates may stem from a high metabolic rate coupled with a low calorie diet which forces the voles to feed frequently.

Are the short‐photoperiod‐induced decreases in serum prolactin responsible for the seasonal changes in energy balance in Syrian and Siberian hamsters?

Serum prolactin (PRL) decreases in Syrian (Mesocricetus auratus) and Siberian (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) hamsters following short-photoperiod exposure. Both species also exhibit short-photoperiod-induced changes in body and lipid mass, but in opposite directions; Syrian hamsters increase and Siberian hamsters decrease their body weight, changes reflected nearly exclusively in their carcass lipid content. The purpose of these experiments was to determine whether the photoperiod-induced changes in PRL were responsible for the seasonal changes in energy balance in Syrian and Siberian hamsters by using the strategy of experimentally producing serum PRL levels opposite to those normally associated with the photoperiod in which the animals were housed. In long photoperiods serum PRL was reduced to short-day levels by subcutaneous (s.c.) CB-154 (bromoergocryptine, a dopamine agonist) injections. In short photoperiods, serum PRL was elevated to long-day levels in Syrian hamsters by ectopic pituitary explants, and in Siberian hamsters, serum PRL was elevated by chronic s.c. infusions of ovine PRL (oPRL). In both species, manipulations of serum PRL did not affect food intake, carcass composition, or the wet weight of various white and brown adipose tissue pads (WAT and BAT, respectively). Body weight increased in CB-154-treated Syrian hamsters and decreased in Siberian hamsters, an effect partially reversed by coadministration of oPRL in Syrian, but not Siberian, hamsters. Thus, lowering serum PRL to short-day levels in long-day-housed hamsters of both species mimicked the directional change in body weight appropriate for each species when they are exposed to short days. This effect of CB-154 on body weight may be a result of some as yet unidentified effect of dopaminergic stimulation on overall growth since 1) these changes in body weight were not reflected as changes in lipid mass, as occurs naturally following short-day exposure for each species, and 2) neither species exhibited a reciprocal change in body weight when serum PRL was experimentally elevated in short days. Alternatively, it may be that once the energetic responses to short-day exposure have been fully expressed, the ability of PRL to stimulate the target sites of action for PRL for these responses may be decreased. BAT protein content, cytochrome oxidase activity (measures of metabolic growth of this tissue), and retroperitoneal total and specific lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activities were increased by CB-154 treatment in Syrian hamsters.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Body composition, food intake, and brown fat thermogenesis in pregnant Djungarian hamsters.

Strategies for balancing energy storage and expenditure during pregnancy were examined in the Djungarian hamster. In expt 1, pregnant hamsters lost nearly 50% of their body lipid stores, even though they showed significant increases in body weight and food intake during the latter half of pregnancy. The increase in body weight was accounted for by the growth of the uteri, fetuses, and placentas. The water and fat-free dry contents of the maternal carcasses did not differ from those of the unmated controls. In expt 2, brown fat cytochrome-c oxidase activity (mitochondrial content) was significantly lower in the late- but not early-pregnant females relative to the nonpregnant controls. Specific GDP-binding levels did not differ significantly among these groups. Thus an overall decrease in total thermogenic activity in brown fat would be expected during late pregnancy. The loss of carcass lipid, despite decreased brown fat thermogenesis and increased food intake, suggests that substantial increases in energy expenditure occur in pregnant females that are not related to heat production in brown fat. The present results are not consistent with traditional models of energy balance during pregnancy. Some of the inconsistencies may be related to differences between hoarding and nonhoarding families of rodents, whereas others may be due to the fact that the traditional model is based on a possibly exceptional species, the laboratory rat.

Reduction of weight loss and tumour size in a cachexia model by a high fat diet.

An attempt has been made to reverse cachexia and to selectively deprive the tumour of metabolic substrates for energy production by feeding a ketogenic regime, since ketone bodies are considered important in maintaining homeostasis during starvation. As a model we have used a transplantable mouse adenocarcinoma of the colon (MAC 16) which produces extensive weight loss without a reduction in food intake. When mice bearing the MAC16 tumour were fed on diets in which up to 80% of the energy was supplied as medium chain triglycerides (MCT) with or without arginine 3-hydroxybutyrate host weight loss was reduced in proportion to the fat content of the diet, and there was also a reduction in the percentage contribution of the tumour to the final body weight. The increase in carcass weight in tumour-bearing mice fed high levels of MCT was attributable to an increase in both the fat and the non-fat carcass mass. Blood levels of free fatty acids (FFA) were significantly reduced by MCT addition. The levels of both acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate were elevated in mice fed the high fat diets, and tumour-bearing mice fed the normal diet did not show increased plasma levels of ketone bodies over the non-tumour-bearing group despite the loss of carcass lipids. Both blood glucose and plasma insulin levels were reduced in mice bearing the MAC16 tumour and this was not significantly altered by feeding the high fat diets. The elevation in ketone bodies may account for the retention of both the fat and the non-fat carcass mass. This is the first example of an attempt to reverse cachexia by a diet based on metabolic differences between tumour and host tissues, which aims to selectively feed the host at the expense of the tumour.

Relationships between whole-body chemical composition, physically dissected carcass parts and backfat measurements in pigs

ABSTRACTLog-linear relationships between various measurements of the chemical and physical body composition of the pig were obtained in four datasets representing a range of sexes, genotypes and feeding treatments. One of these datasets (dataset 1) comprised genetic control and selection line Large White pigs. There were significant differences between datasets for most of the relationships investigated. The causes of the differences cannot be determined. Within datasets, relationships between various body components and the weight of crude protein in the whole body were unaffected by genotype or sex. The relationships of both intermuscular fat and trimmed carcass lipid with whole body lipid differed significantly between the control and selection lines in dataset 1. Fat thickness measurements taken over the m. longissimus at the last rib were less at the same body lipid in the selection line than the control line suggesting a redistribution of fat away from this area as a result of selection. Relationships between viscera, lungs and empty body weight were significantly affected by line while those between trimmed carcass, liver, kidneys and empty body weight were significantly affected by sex. Selection line pigs had less perinephric and retroperitoneal fat than controls at the same whole body fat weight and less subcutaneous fat at the same cold carcass weight. There were no significant line effects on lean or bone weight distribution. Selection line pigs had significantly less subcutaneous fat in the collar joint and more intermuscular fat in the ham. There were few significant sex effects on tissue weight distribution.

Dietary protein requirement of fingerlings of the herbivorous carp tawes, Pontius gonionotus (Bleaker)

. The dietary protein requirement of fingerlings of Pontius gonionotus (Bleaker) was investigated by feeding five isoenergetic semi-purified diets containing varying levels of dietary protein within a range of 15%–557% by weight over a 70-day feeding period. On the basis of percentage weight gain, daily weight gain, specific growth rate and daily tissue protein deposition the dietary protein requirement of fingerlings of P. gonionotus was approximately 35% when fish meal, blood meal and casein were used as the dietary protein source. Feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and apparent net protein utilization all decreased with increasing dietary protein levels while apparent protein digestibility was not significantly affected. There was a significant increase in carcass moisture and a decrease in carcass lipid content with progressive dietary protein substitution whilst carcass protein and ash were relatively unaffected.

Resistance to diet-induced obesity: food intake, pancreatic sympathetic tone, and insulin.

After 15 wk on a moderately high-calorie high-fat (CM) diet, 43% of 40 3-mo-old male Sprague-Dawley rats developed diet-induced obesity (DIO) (29% more weight gain), whereas 57% of diet-resistant (DR) rats gained no more weight than 20 chow-fed controls. When switched to chow for another 7 wk, DR rats ate 13% less, gained 55% less weight, and had 49% lower food efficiency, whereas DIO rats ate 4% less but had comparable weight gain and efficiency to controls. DIO rats had 29% more carcass lipid (percent of carcass weight). DIO rat retroperitoneal white adipose pads had 65% more cells that were the same size as those in chow-fed pads; DR rat cells were similar to controls. Both DR and DIO rats increased norepinephrine turnover in their interscapular brown adipose pads by greater than 90%. DIO rats also had 40% lower pancreatic turnover; their plasma insulin levels were 327% of controls after 15 wk on the CM diet and 188% after 7 wk on chow. DR levels were the same as controls at both times. Therefore, regulation of caloric intake, pancreatic sympathetic tone, and plasma insulin levels were three important differences between rats that resisted and those that developed DIO on high-energy diets.

Stimulation of Pig Growth Performance by Porcine Growth Hormone: Determination of the Dose-Response Relationship

The present study was undertaken to determine the relationship between dose of porcine growth hormone (pGH) and growth performance of pigs. Porcine GH was administered daily for 35 d [buffer-injected control = (C); 10 micrograms/kg body weight (BW) = (L); 30 micrograms/kg BW = (M); 70 micrograms/kg BW = (H)] to barrows (initial wt = 50 kg). Growth rate was significantly increased by pGH (14% for H dose vs C). Feed efficiency was increased in a dose-related manner (L = 7%, M = 10%, H = 17%) by pGH. There was a concurrent change in carcass composition of pGH-treated pigs. The H dose of pGH decreased the percentage of carcass lipid by 25% (P less than .05). Muscle mass was significantly increased in H vs C pigs (31 vs 26 kg). Serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) concentration increased in a manner that was linearly related to the pGH dose (r = .87). No antibodies to pGH were detected in any of the pigs. In summary, these results extend our earlier findings that pGH increases growth performance markedly. Based on the present findings it appears that the maximally effective dose of pGH is greater than 70 micrograms.kg BW-1.d-1 since several indices of the growth-promoting and metabolic effects of pGH (% carcass protein, % carcass lipid and feed efficiency) had not plateaued.

Effects of pre- and early postnatal protein malnutrition on carcass composition and lipoprotein lipase activity in male rats

Little is known about the effects of pre- and early postnatal protein malnutrition on energy storage (e.g., carcass lipid) and expenditure (e.g., brown adipose tissue [BAT] thermogenesis) and their reversibility by nutritional rehabilitation. Therefore, the purpose of these experiments was to examine the permanence of prenatal and early postnatal protein malnutrition on energy balance in rats. Five weeks before mating and through gestation adult female rats were fed either a 25 or 8% casein diet (designated 25 or 8). Diet reversals were performed at birth and/or weaning (designated B or W) and the pups were cross-fostered at birth. Thus, the groups were: (1) 25-25B (controls), (2) 8–25W (gestational and lactational protein malnutrition, (3) 82–5B (gestational protein malnutrition), and (4) 25-8B-25W (lactational protein malnutrition). Animals were weighed and sacrificed 200–250 days postpartum for carcass composition. Retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (RWAT) and interscapular BAT (IBAT) wet weights and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity were also measured in the 25-25B and 8–25W groups. Nutritional rehabilitation at birth (8–25B) resulted in normal body weights as adults. Lactational protein malnutrition (25-8B-25W) resulted in intermediate body weights to the controls (25-25W), which had the greatest weights, and the 8–25W group, which had the lowest weights. The 8–25W and 25-8B-25W rats also had significantly decreased carcass wet weight and total body water, fat and fat-free dry mass relative to the 25-25B and 8–25B groups, the latter two of which did not differ in their carcass composition. The 8–25B and 25-8B-25W groups exhibited a selective decrease in the percent of the carcass as lipid. Despite more than 6 months of nutritional rehabilitation beginning at weaning (8–25W), IBAT wet weight, total protein, and specific LPL activity (LPL activity per mg protein) were decreased relative to the 25-25B rats. Total IBAT LPL activity did not differ between the groups. Similarly, the 8–25W rats had decreased RWAT wet weight and total RWAT LPL activity relative to the 25-25B group. The critical time period for protein malnutrition to affect the mechanisms underlying the decreases in body mass and carcass lipid content may be during lactation, since the offspring of prenatally protein malnourished rats cross-fostered at birth to mothers fed a nutritionally adequate protein diet (8–25B) did not exhibit the selective decrease in carcass lipid content, but the offspring of gestational and lactational protein malnourished mothers (8–25W), and, more importantly, the offspring of lactationally protein malnourished mothers (25-8B-25W), both had decreased body weights and carcass lipid content despite the extended nutritional rehabilitation.

Short- and long-term effects of ovariectomy on food intake, body weight, carcass composition, and brown adipose tissue in rats

This experiment examined both the short-term and the long-term effects of ovariectomy on brown adipose tissue growth and function in rats to determine if reduced brown adipose tissue thermogenesis might contribute to the weight gain and adiposity. Brown adipose tissue function was assessed by measuring sympathetic nervous system activity (estimated by the rate of norepinephrine turnover) and mitochondrial proton conductance (estimated by specific GDP binding) in interscapular brown adipose tissue. Rats ( n=12 per group) were killed 0 (sham), 1, 2, 4, and 12 weeks after ovariectomy. During the first five weeks after ovariectomy rats overate and rapidly gained weight. The weight gain was due to increases in all carcass components. Five weeks after ovariectomy food intake returned to control levels, and body weights stabilized 12–16% above sham-operated control weights for the duration of the experiment. Between week 4 and week 12 after surgery there was a redistribution of carcass composition, with decreases in carcass water and fat-free dry weights offset by a further increase in total carcass lipid. Brown adipose tissue pads were heavier in the 1-, 2-, and 4-week ovariectomy groups, but only in the 4-week group was the increase statistically significant. Brown adipose tissue protein, DNA, and norepinephrine content was unchanged 1-, 2-, 4-, or 12-weeks after ovariectomy. There was no difference in either the rate of norepinephrine turnover or specific mitochondrial GDP binding between sham-operated and 1-, 2-, 4-, or 12-week ovariectomized rats. These results indicate that the dynamic phase of ovariectomy-induced weight gain in rats cannot, even in part, be explained by a reduction in brown adipose tissue thermogenesis.

Selection for Body Weight at Eight Weeks of Age: 18. Comparisons Between Mature and Immature Pullets at the Same Live Weight and Age

Body component and compositional traits were measured at the same age and live body weight in sexually mature and immature pullets from several genetic stocks. Populations included parental lines of White Plymouth Rocks selected for 25 generations for high and low juvenile body weight, their reciprocal F1 crosses, and an F2, as well as dwarfs from the parental lines. Although matched for age and body weight, percent liver weight and percent breast weight were greater for mature than immature pullets. Population by physiological stage interactions for percentages of abdominal fat and carcass lipid resulted from differences between mature and immature pullets, which were greater in the parental than in the cross and dwarf populations. Moreover, the pattern was reversed in the parental populations. The data supported the hypothesis that compositional requirements, independent of age and body weight, are necessary for the onset of egg production, and that these requirements vary among populations. They also demonstrated physiological buffering properties of heterozygosity and of the sex-linked dwarfing allele.

Stimulation of pig growth performance by porcine growth hormone and growth hormone-releasing factor.

The current study was undertaken to determine the effects of human growth hormone-releasing factor [hpGRF-(1-44)-NH2] on growth performance in pigs and whether this response was comparable to exogenous porcine growth hormone (pGH) treatment. Preliminary studies were conducted to determine if GRF increased plasma GH concentration after iv and im injection and the nature of the dose response. Growth hormone-releasing factor stimulated the release of pGH in a dose-dependent fashion, although the individual responses varied widely among pigs. The results from the im study were used to determine the dose of GRF to use for a 30-d growth trial. Thirty-six Yorkshire-Duroc barrows (initial wt 50 kg) were randomly allotted to one of three experimental groups (C = control, GRF and pGH). Pigs were treated daily with 30 micrograms of GRF/kg body weight by im injection in the neck. Pigs treated with pGH were also given 30 micrograms/kg body weight by im injection. Growth rate was increased 10% by pGH vs C pigs (P less than .05). Growth rate was not affected by GRF; however, hot and chilled carcass weights were increased 5% vs C pigs (P less than .05). On an absolute basis, adipose tissue mass was unaffected by pGH or GRF. Carcass lipid (percent of soft-tissue mass) was decreased 13% by GRF (P less than .05) and 18% by pGH (P less than .05). Muscle mass was significantly increased by pGH but not by GRF. There was a trend for feed efficiency to be improved by GRF; however, this was not different from control pigs. In contrast, pGH increased feed efficiency 19% vs control pigs (P less than .05). Chronic administration of GRF increased anterior pituitary weight but did not affect pituitary GH content or concentration. When blood was taken 3 h post-injection, both GRF- and pGH-treated pigs had lower blood-urea nitrogen concentrations. Serum glucose was significantly elevated by both GRF and pGH treatment. This was associated with an elevation in serum insulin. These results indicate that increasing the GH concentration in blood by either exogenous GH or GRF enhances growth performance. The effects of pGH were more marked than for GRF. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal dose of GRF to administer in growth trials and the appropriate pattern of GRF administration in order to determine whether GRF will enhance pig growth performance to the extent that exogenous pGH does.

Metabolic features of diet-induced obesity without hyperphagia in young rats.

Diet-induced obesity (DIO) developed in 1-mo-old male Sprague-Dawley rats over an 8-wk period on a relatively high-fat (16%) high-calorie (4.6 kcal/g) diet (DIO diet). Percent carcass lipid (56%) and body weight gain (15%) were greater, whereas food intake was decreased over the first 3-5 wk in DIO diet-compared with chow-fed controls. Overall, 8-wk body weight gain (15%), percent carcass lipid (26%), and feed efficiency (15%) were greater, but food intake was not increased. Norepinephrine (NE) turnover rate, indicative of organ sympathetic activity, increased in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT; 57-218%), heart (21-44%), and pancreas (25%) during the first 3 wk and remained elevated for the entire 8 wk. IBAT weight (51%) and in vitro lipolytic capacity (68%) increased by 1 wk and brown adipocyte size (43%) by 3 wk; IBAT thermogenic capacity (maximal NE-stimulated in vitro O2 consumption) increased by 5 wk (39%). Plasma insulin levels were similar in both diet groups over the entire 8-wk period. Why DIO diet-fed rats had increased metabolic efficiency is unknown, but activation of IBAT metabolism and thermogenesis failed to prevent the development of DIO.

Dietary carbohydrate and growth, body composition and heat increment in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

A study was conducted to determine growth, body composition and heat increment (HI) of rainbow trout reared on isonitrogenous high digestible carbohydrate (HC) and high fat (HL) diets at 15°C. Trout reared on the HC diet had a significantly lower final body weight and carcass lipid content and a significantly higher feed:gain ratio and carcass protein content than trout reared on the HL diet after 12 weeks on the test diets. The lower carcass lipid composition indicates that trout do not readily convert dietary carbohydrates into fat. HI of trout reared on the HC diet was significantly higher than that of fish reared on the HL diet. Considering the poor utilization of dietary carbohydrates as an energy source and the apparently low conversion of dietary glucose into fat, the cause of the higher HI associated with the HC diet is not completely understood. However, it is possible the elimination of excess dietary glucose is an energy dependent process resulting in an increased heat production which would partly account for the increased HI. Furthermore, if the HC diet is a low net energy diet, then the metabolism and utilization of dietary and tissue proteins (amino acids) for energy by the trout may also be partly responsible for the increased HI of the trout reared on the HC diet.

Dissociation of sympathetic and thermogenic activity in brown fat of Syrian hamsters.

Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) were fed a high-fat (HF) diet for up to 16 wk. Sympathetic and thermogenic activities in their brown adipose tissue (BAT) were assessed by measuring norepinephrine content and turnover and mitochondrial GDP binding and cytochrome c oxidase activity. Chronic ingestion of the HF diet resulted in significant increases in carcass lipid and interscapular BAT wet weight by the end of the second week. HF-fed hamsters were slightly hyperphagic during the first 2 wk of HF feeding only. Significant weight gains persisted beyond the period of hyperphagia. Hypertrophy of interscapular BAT after 16 wk on the HF diet was accompanied by increases in protein and DNA content, indicating growth of functional tissue. Norepinephrine turnover and content in BAT were decreased throughout the entire period of HF feeding, regardless of changes in caloric intake or body weight. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase activity and GDP binding were increased after 16 wk on the HF diet, a time when the HF-fed animals were obese but not hyperphagic. These results demonstrate a dissociation of BAT thermogenesis from sympathetic activity in the tissue. It appears that sympathetic nervous system activity in BAT was suppressed by the HF diet, whereas thermogenic activity of the tissue was activated when the hamsters became obese.

Weight loss induced by chronic phenylpropanolamine: anorexia and brown adipose tissue thermogenesis.

The effects of chronic treatment with phenylpropanolamine (PPA) on body weight (BW), food intake (FI), and water intake (WI) and interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) thermogenesis in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were evaluated in 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, rats were treated (IP) twice daily (0900 and 2100 hr) for 12 days with either saline or 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg dl-PPA. Rats treated with 20 mg/kg dl-PPA exhibited significant decreases in both FI and BW but not WI. Basal IBAT temperature was slightly increased in chronic 20 mg/kg dl-PPA rats and there was no evidence of tolerance to the acute IBAT thermogenic effect of 20 mg/kg dl-PPA. In Experiment 2, rats were treated twice daily (0900 and 2100 hr) for 12 days with either saline or 20 mg/kg of either d-PPA or l-PPA. There was a 2-fold difference in the potency of these PPA isomers on FI, BW and IBAT thermogenesis. Body composition analyses revealed that l-PPA, but not d-PPA, induced a significant loss of carcass lipid without significant changes in carcass ash, water or protein levels. These data suggest that the weight-reducing action of PPA may reflect a combined effect of this drug on both food intake and BAT thermogenesis.

National estimates of the body composition of British cattle, sheep and pigs with special reference to trends in fatness

1The relationship between diet and health is now a major factor in the development of production and marketing strategies for the British meat industry, following Government recommendations that people should be encouraged to eat less fat. It has emphasised the need for accurate information on the body composition of national livestock populations and the fat content of the meat and meat products derived from them. This paper collates the information available for cattle, sheep and pigs, and provides base-line (1984) estimates of national lean and fat production. Changes that have taken place over the past ten years are also examined.2The basic framework for making estimates was the distribution of carcasses between fatness ranges in the national carcass classification schemes operated by the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC). The distribution for cattle was obtained from a random 1 in 3 sample of beef carcasses classified (0.25 of all clean beef carcasses were classified).3A computer spread-sheet was constructed relating the midpoint means of the fatness ranges to carcass tissue proportions and chemical composition. Regressions for predicting carcass lean and fat content were calculated from accumulated data from surveys of commercial carcasses and breed evaluations for cattle (Kempster, 1986), for sheep (Kempster, Jones and Wolf, 1986a) and for pigs (Diestre and Kempster, 1985). Key regressions are given in Table 1. Carcass lean and fat are defined as in the standard MLC tissue separation procedure. Regressions for estimating carcass lipid content: were obtained using data from several studies. The principal study involved carcasses from breed comparison trials (MAFF/MLC, 1982). Details of the other data sets are given by Kempster, Cook and Grantley-Smith (1986b). Key relationships are given in Table 2.4Estimates of the composition of carcasses in different classification fatness ranges are given in Table 3. These are for 'clean' cattle, sheep and pigs, but estimates were also made for cull cows and cull ewes.5National estimates of carcass composition and the weights of lean and fat produced in 1975/77 and 1984 are given in Table 4. The carcass composition of beef was the same in 1974/76 and 1984 but the average carcass weight has increased by 20kg. The implication of this is that changes in breed and production system have created the potential for leaner carcasses but that the beef industry has preferred to exploit this potential by increasing carcass weights. An increase of 20kg is equivalent to about 15gAg separable fat in carcass on the basis of typical regressions within breed and system.The carcasses of clean sheep in 1984 were estimated to be slightly lighter and leaner than those in 1977. Information on marketing patterns suggests that there has been little change in production methods (as far as they affect composition) and that lambs are now being slaughtered early, possibly stimulated by the pattern of Guide Prices in the EEC Sheep Meat Regime.In marked contrast to cattle and sheep, the separable fat content of the average pig carcass has fallen from 274g/kg in 1975 to 228g/kg in 1985, with a small increase in carcass weight. It is estimated that the increase in the use of entire males has contributed 5g/kg to the overall change.6The estimates in the paper are considered to be the best available with current information but because of the limitations of the data may be subject to error. Possible sources of error are discussed by Kempster et al (1986b). The authors would be pleased to know of data relating physical and chemical composition that could be used to refine the estimates.

Somatic, metabolic and endocrine correlates of set point recovery in food-restricted and ad lib-fed weanling rats with dorsomedial hypothalamic lesions

Male Sprague-Dawley rats received either electrolytic lesions in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei (DMNL rats) or sham-operations (CON), and were fed lab chow ad lib for 41 post-operative (POP) days. Subsequently one lesioned (DNML-AL) and one control group (CON-AL) continued to receive lab chow ad lib until the end of the experiment (POP day 78). A second lesioned (DMNL-RE) and control group (CON-RE) were given 80% of the amount of food eaten by their ad lib-fed counterparts for 28 days. At this time several rats from each group were killed. The remaining animals were then given lab chow ad lib for nine days and then also killed. Both DMNL-RE and CON-RE recovered their lowered body weight, food intake and feeding efficiency and showed the same pattern and relative magnitude as their ad lib-fed counterparts. Similarly, carcass lipid, epididymal fat pad lipid, incorporation of glucose-U-C14 into fat pad saponifiable lipid, total lipid, total glycogen (DPM/protein), liver protein, incorporation of glucose into liver CO2 and concentrations of plasma glucose, glycerol, triglycerides and free fatty acids normalized on refeeding to the same extent and in the same pattern in DMNL-RE as in CON-RE. In contrast to previous studies, plasma insulin was lower in DMNL-AL than in CON-AL but DMNL-RE and CON-RE had similar levels on refeeding. Also on refeeding, both DMNL-RE and CON-RE showed the same enhanced glucose incorporation into liver total lipid. The data show that DMNL rats, although smaller in size and hypophagic in absolute terms, recovered lost body weight--at least under our relative mild reduction of 80% of their ad lib-fed controls--with the same competence and in the same time interval as sham-operated controls. It is quite possible that a more severe restriction of body weight would have uncovered some deficits in DMNL rats, however. Under the constraints of the present experimental arrangement, the data strengthen previous evidence for the existence in DMNL rats of an "organismic" set point that makes for a "scaled-down" but homeostatically normal animal.