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Effects of fill volume of diets on digestive tract kinetics and fattening pattern of growing Holstein-Friesian bull calves.

Young Holstein-Friesian bull calves were tested in three trials for their performance and digestive tract kinetic responses to diets differing in their fill volume (FV) in the digestive tract. In Trial 1, a high ME (11.7 MJ/kg of DM) diet was compared with three medium ME (10.5 MJ/kg of DM) diets, one of high FV and two of low FV. In Trial 2, two silages (wheat and sorghum), differing in FV, were compared with or without poultry litter inclusion. All the diets in this trial had the same ME content of 10.5 MJ/kg of DM. Rate of gain, DM and ME intake, and depot fat percentage at slaughter were recorded. In Trial 3, two diets (high and low FV) and the same ME content of 10.4 MJ/kg of DM were compared in a short-term trial for digestive tract kinetics using a single dose of Cr-NDF and Co-EDTA as particulate and solute markers, respectively. Calves in Trial 1 fed medium ME and low FV diets had higher (not significant) DMI than high ME calves but similar ADG, whereas medium ME and high FV calves had the lowest DMI (P < .1) and ADG (P < .05). Low FV and medium ME calves were leaner (P < .05) at slaughter than the high ME calves and fatter (not significant) than the high FV and medium ME calves. In Trial 2, reduction of FV by silage replacement increased DMI (P < .01) and ADG (P < .05). Incorporation of poultry litter into the diets resulted in effects in the same direction (not significant). Such a reduction caused increased (P < .01 for both silage end poultry litter effects) deposition of cod fat in the carcass. Mean retention time estimations in Trial 3 indicated increased (P = .055) particle retention time in the low FV calves, compared to the high FV calves. This increase was due to a longer (P = .1) stay of particles in the lower parts of the digestive tract, and not in the rumen. Lowering the FV of medium ME diets increased DMI of calves to support ADG equal to that of a high ME diet, but with a lower fat accumulation.

Animal Feed↗

Ideal amino acid pattern for 10-kilogram pigs.

Two growth assays and one nitrogen balance experiment were conducted to develop an ideal amino acid pattern for 10-kg pigs. Crossbred pigs were fed chemically defined amino acid diets containing four indispensable amino acid (AA) patterns: 1) the Illinois final amino acid pattern (IFP), a recently developed AA profile for purified diets; 2) the Illinois ideal amino acid pattern (IIP), a modification of IFP; 3) the Wang and Fuller ideal amino acid pattern (WFIP); and 4) the 1988 National Research Council (NRC) amino acid requirement pattern for 10-kg pigs (NRCP). A mixture of dispensable AA consisting of glutamate, glycine, and proline that had been proven to be an efficient mixture of dispensable AA nitrogen was fed together with the indispensable AA patterns. Diets were made isonitrogenous and isoenergetic within experiments. In Exp. 1, pigs were given ad libitum access to experimental diets with AA levels set above the NRC AA requirements. Regardless of which AA pattern was fed, pigs had similar (P greater than .05) daily gains, daily feed intakes, and gain:feed ratios. In Exp. 2, all levels of indispensable and dispensable AA were reduced to 50% of levels present in Exp. 1. When pigs had ad libitum access to these diets, daily gains of pigs fed IIP were superior (P greater than .05) to those of pigs fed IFP or NRCP, but similar (P greater than .05) weight gains occurred in pigs fed IFP, WFIP, and NRCP. In Exp. 3, the efficiency of nitrogen utilization of the four indispensable AA patterns was evaluated by a nitrogen balance experiment in pigs equally fed the same experimental diets fed in Exp. 2. Pigs fed NRCP utilized nitrogen with an efficiency of 74%, which was less (P less than .001) than the efficiencies of 79 to 80% obtained in pigs fed IFP, IIP, and WFIP. Nitrogen retained (grams) per gram of nitrogen intake from indispensable AA was greater (P less than .01) for IIP than for either IFP or WFIP. The results of these experiments indicate that WFIP contains excesses of leucine, valine, phenylalanine plus tyrosine, methionine plus cystine, and threonine for pigs between 10 and 20 kg BW. Also, NRCP is probably first-limiting in leucine and also limiting in other AA, resulting in lower nitrogen utilization than IIP. The pattern of indispensable AA in IIP (grams of AA/100 g lysine) is as follows: lysine (100), methionine+cystine (60), threonine (65), tryptophan (18), phenylalanine+tyrosine (95), leucine (100), isoleucine (60), valine (68), arginine (42), and histidine (32).

Amino Acids↗

Fatty acid composition of liver and adipose tissue lipids in Wistar rats with fat diet-induced obesity.

The influence of dietary fat on the fatty acid composition of liver and adipose tissue lipids was investigated after 4 and 19 weeks of high-fat feeding (50% fat) in comparison to low-fat feeding (3% fat), beginning in the sixth week of age. In rats fed the low-fat diet or an usual pellet diet the fatty pattern of liver triglycerides (TG) was equal to that of adipose tissue, while there were no similarities to the diet. In total liver lipids a constant fatty acid profile was observed, independently of the duration of feeding. High fat feeding results several changes in the fatty acid pattern of liver lipids. While after 4 weeks the fatty acids of liver TG more closely resembled the dietary fatty acids than those of adipose tissue, after 19 weeks of feeding the fatty acid composition of liver TG is comparable with that of adipose tissue. Not all rats fed the high fat diet rendered obese. It could be shown that in rats with higher lipid concentrations in the liver only the fatty acid pattern of liver phospholipids has been altered, while the composition of TG, which are the lipids primarily increased, was not changed.

Adipose Tissue↗

Requirements for indispensable amino acids in adult humans: longer-term amino acid kinetic study with support for the adequacy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology amino acid requirement pattern.

Twenty young men received an L-amino acid diet, supplying 140 mg N.kg-1 x d-1 and patterned as in the Egg diet for 1 wk, and then for 3 wk either a pattern based on international recommendations (modified FAO diet; n = 7), our new amino acid requirement pattern (MIT diet; n = 7), or the egg pattern (Egg diet; n = 6). At the end of the initial week, at 1 and 3 wk with the three experimental diets, and after 3 d after return to the Egg diet, an 8-h continuous intravenous infusion with [1-13C]leucine (3 h fast, 5 h fed while subjects received hourly meals supplying the equivalent of one-twelfth the daily intake) was conducted. After 3 wk with the different diets, mean daily leucine balances were lower (P < 0.01) with the FAO diet (-160 mumol.kg-1 x d-1) than with the MIT diet (-15 mumol.kg-1 x d-1). Together with changes in plasma amino acid profiles [eg, methionine increased (P < 0.05) during feeding with the FAO and Egg diets but not with the MIT diet; increased proline concentrations during the fed state (P < 0.05) with the FAO diet but not with the MIT or Egg diets] we interpret these findings to indicate that the FAO diet is not capable of maintaining amino acid homeostasis, as is the case with the MIT and Egg diets.

Adult↗

Conversion of type III hyperlipoproteinaemia to type IV hyperlipoproteinaemia by a fat-free, carbohydrate rich diet.

Hyperlipoproteinaemia type III has been considered a clear cut clinical entity characterized by the presence of cholesterol rich "floating" beta very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) after ultracentrifugation. Carbohydrate inducibility is pronounced in type III. This study was undertaken to elucidate the effect of a high carbohydrate diet in type III as an effort to clarify a suggested association between type III and IV hyperlipoproteinaemia. On an isocaloric fat free carbohydrate rich diet the lipoprotein pattern changed as the VLDL triglycerides increased 31 per cent on average and LDL and HDL cholesterol decreased by 40 and 22 per cent. The high ratio cholesterol/triglycerides in VLDL was normalized. The lipoprotein levels in serum after carbohydrate induction showed all characteristics of a type IV with high VLDL triglycerides, normal cholesterol/triglyceride ratio in VLDL, subnormal cholesterol levels in LDL and HDL with changed relation between LDL1 and LDL2. On electrophoresis the floating beta band disappeared. It is probable that depending on the nutritional situation, the metabolic defect in type III may be expressed either as a type III or a type IV. An explanation of the effects of the carbohydrate rich diet on the lipoprotein pattern is suggested.

Cholesterol↗

Food and drinking patterns as predictors of 6-year BMI-adjusted changes in waist circumference.

Few studies have investigated the prospective associations between diet or drinking patterns and abdominal obesity; we therefore investigated whether food and beverage groups or patterns predicted 6-year changes in waist circumference (WC) and whether these associations were independent of concurrent changes in BMI as a measure of general obesity. The subjects were 2300 middle-aged men and women with repeated measurements of dietary intake, BMI and WC from 1982 to 1993. Intakes from ten food groups and from coffee, tea, wine, beer and spirits were assessed; gender-specific food factors were identified by factor analyses. Multiple linear regression analyses were done before and after adjustment for concurrent changes in BMI. A high intake of potatoes seemed to prevent gain in WC for men, while a high intake of refined bread was associated with gain in WC for women. The association persisted for refined bread, but not for potatoes, after adjustment for concurrent BMI changes. Among women, but not men, high intakes of beer and spirits were associated with gain in WC in both models. A high intake of coffee for women and moderate to high intake of tea for men were associated with gain in WC, but the associations were weakened, especially for women, after adjustment for BMI changes. None of the food factors was associated with WC changes. Based on the present study, we conclude that very few food items and no food patterns seem to predict changes in WC, whereas high intakes of beer and spirits among women, and moderate to high tea intake among men, may promote gain in WC.

Adult↗

Low-density-lipoprotein subclasses and response to a low-fat diet in healthy men.

Lipid and lipoprotein responses to reduced dietary fat intake were investigated in relation to differences in distribution of low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) subclasses among 105 healthy men consuming high-fat (46% fat) and low-fat (24% fat) diets in random order for 6 wk each. With high-fat diets, 87 subjects had predominantly large, buoyant LDL (pattern A), whereas the remainder had primarily smaller, denser LDL (pattern B). With low-fat diets, 36 men changed from pattern A to B. Compared with the 51 men with pattern A with both diets (stable A group), men in the stable B group (n = 18) had significantly greater reductions in plasma LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and mass of mid-sized (LDL II) and small (LDL III) LDL subfractions. In both the stable A and change groups, there was a shift in LDL particle mass from larger, lipid-enriched (LDL I and II) to smaller, lipid-depleted (LDL III and IV) subfractions, suggestive of change in LDL composition with minimal change in particle number, and consistent with the observation of reduced plasma LDL cholesterol without reduced apolipoprotein B. Stable B subjects had significantly greater increases in the largest very-low-density-lipoprotein subfraction with the low-fat diet than the stable A group, and also had greater decreases in the high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) subclass HDL3 but smaller reductions in HDL2. Genetic and environmental factors influencing LDL subclass distributions thus may also contribute substantially to interindividual variation in plasma lipoprotein response to a low-fat diet.

Adult↗

Esterases in inbred strains of mice with differential cholesterolemic responses to a high-cholesterol diet.

Specific esterase isoenzyme patterns in plasma may be associated with responsiveness of serum cholesterol to dietary cholesterol. In rabbits and rats the presence and absence of a high-mobility, anodal esterase band on electrophoresis have been shown to be associated with hypo- and hyperresponsiveness, respectively. We fed for 28 days male mice of 7 inbred strains either a low-cholesterol, commercial diet or a diet containing 2% (w/w) cholesterol, 0.5% cholic acid and 5% olive oil. Feeding the high-cholesterol diet revealed marked inter-strain differences in the responses of plasma and liver cholesterol; the increases ranged from 21 to 129% and from 10 to 80-fold, respectively. There was no association between esterase isoenzyme patterns in plasma and the sensitivity to the high-cholesterol diet. The mean baseline plasma total esterase activity tended to be positively associated with the absolute response of plasma cholesterol to the high-cholesterol diet (r = 0.56; n = 7), but the positive relationship between the baseline concentration of the ES-1 component in plasma and the cholesterolemic response was stronger (r = 0.84; n = 7; P less than 0.05). The high-cholesterol diet caused a significant increase in plasma total esterase activities in 6 out of the 7 strains. Evidence is presented that the increase in plasma total esterase activity, which was associated with an increase in the activity and concentration of the so-called ES-2 isoenzyme, is the result of an enhanced release of esterases from the intestine, rather than from the liver. A significant, positive correlation was found between the baseline intestinal esterase activity and the cholesterolemic response after cholesterol feeding (r = 0.83; n = 7; P less than 0.05).

Alanine Transaminase↗

Dietary patterns associated with a low-fat diet in the national health examination follow-up study: identification of potential confounders for epidemiologic analyses.

To identify systematically the nutrient and food group intakes associated with a low-fat diet, the authors used the detailed dietary information collected from 10,306 individuals aged 32-86 years in the 1982-1984 National Health Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Intakes of vitamin C and percentages of calories from carbohydrates, dietary fiber, poultry, low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables, cereals, and whole grains were markedly higher, while intakes of protein, total fat, saturated fat, oleic and linoleic acids, cholesterol, sodium, all red meats, high-fat dairy products, eggs, nuts, white bread, fried potatoes, desserts, fats, and oils were much lower in the quartile with the lowest percentage of calories from fat. These dietary patterns associated with a low-fat diet were essentially constant across strata of age, sex, race, and socioeconomic status. This study suggests that individuals on a low-fat diet substitute certain carbohydrate-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables for fat. Given these associations between low-fat diets and other dietary factors independently associated with certain cancers, these dietary factors should be considered potential confounders in studies of dietary fat and these cancers.

Adult↗

A comparison of the effects of dietary selenium on selenoprotein expression in rat brain and liver.

In studies with rodents, when dietary supplies of the essential nutrient Se are restricted, in most tissues there are parallel substantial losses of the element and the important antioxidant selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) for which it is a cofactor. In brain, however, there appears to be both a sequestration of Se and a conservation of GPx activity when dietary Se is limited. To further explore the relation between these phenomena, we have undertaken a comparison of the effects of diets low, normal and high in Se on GPx activity, and labeling of selenoproteins following short-term (72 h) in vivo exposure to 75Se, in subcellular fractions from rat brain and liver, the latter serving as a representative tissue which does not retain Se and is depleted of most GPx activity following dietary restriction. Brains and livers from animals on the three diets showed different patterns of response with respect to both GPx activity and retention of the 75Se dose. The low-Se diet (0.006 ppm) substantially reduced GPx activity in liver but not brain, while high levels (1 ppm) did not increase GPx in either tissue relative to a normal (0.1 ppm) intake. The 75Se was retained in brain homogenates and subcellular fractions to the greatest extent by rats on the restricted diet, while in liver, retention was greater in rats fed the normal supplement than in animals on either the low- or high-Se diets. Levels of non-protein-bound 75Se were higher in brain than liver and increased with dietary Se in both tissues. When proteins in brain and liver homogenates and subcellular fractions where separated by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE and exposed to X-ray film, the resulting autoradiograms revealed the existence of seven distinct selenoprotein bands in brain and eight in liver. Different patterns of selenoprotein expression were observed in subcellular fractions isolated from both tissues. Dependence of levels of individual selenoproteins on diet paralleled the effects on 75Se retention. Dietary influences on expression of protein bands tentatively identified as GPx were more pronounced in liver than brain. All of these observations provide further evidence of the unique nature of Se metabolism in brain.

Animals↗

Effect of imbalance between energy and nitrogen supplies on microbial protein synthesis and nitrogen metabolism in growing double-muscled Belgian Blue bulls.

Six double-muscled Belgian Blue bulls (initial weight: 345 +/- 16 kg) with cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in two juxtaposed 3 x 3 Latin squares to study the effect of a lack of synchronization between energy and N in the rumen on microbial protein synthesis and N metabolism by giving the same diet according to three different feeding patterns. The feed ingredients of the diet were separated into two groups supplying the same amount of fermentable OM (FOM), but characterized by different levels of ruminally degradable N (RDN). The first group primarily provided energy for the ruminal microbes (14.6 g of RDN/kg of FOM), and the second provided N (33.3 g of RDN/kg of FOM). These two groups were fed to the bulls simultaneously or alternately with the aim of creating three different time periods of imbalance (0, 12, or 24 h) between energy and N supplies in the rumen. The introduction of imbalance affected neither microbial-N flow at the duodenum (P = 0.65) nor efficiency of growth (P = 0.69), but decreased (P = 0.016) the NDF degradation in the rumen 12.2% for a 12-h period of imbalance. N retention was not affected by imbalance (P = 0.53) and reached 57.8, 58.5, and 54.7 g/d, respectively, for 0-, 12- and 24-h imbalance. It seems that the introduction of an imbalance of 12 or 24 h between energy and N supplies for the ruminal microbes by altering the feeding pattern of the same diet does not negatively influence microbial protein synthesis or N retention by the animal. Nitrogen recycling in the rumen plays a major role in regulating the amount ofruminally available N and allows for continuous synchronization of N- and energy-yielding substrates for the microorganisms in the rumen. Therefore, a lack of synchronization in the diet between the energy and N supplies for the ruminal microbes is not detrimental to their growth or for the animal as long as the nutrient supply is balanced on a 48-h basis. Thus, these dietary feeding patterns may be used under practical feeding conditions with minimal effect on the performance of ruminant animals.

Animal Feed↗

Are low intakes of calcium and potassium important causes of cardiovascular disease?

Inadequate levels of calcium and potassium intake have long been associated with higher blood pressures. Epidemiologic data have suggested these associations and many clinical trials have indicated causal relationships. However, the intervention data are plagued with inconsistent study designs, populations, and results, and there remain many questions regarding dietary recommendations of these nutrients for cardiovascular health. Until recently, nutrition research focused on single-nutrient interventions, generally with disparate results. Recognizing that nutrients are not consumed individually but as combined constituents of a varied diet, efforts in this area have shifted to the role of the overall diet, or dietary patterns, in blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. The suggestions of epidemiologic surveys nearly two decades ago that the total diet has a greater influence on cardiovascular health than do specific components, are now being borne out by randomized controlled trials demonstrating this effect. From these dietary pattern studies, it has become increasingly clear that it is not merely excesses of single nutrients but also deficiencies of multiple nutrients in combination, such as calcium and potassium, that have the greatest dietary effects on cardiovascular health. Several risk factors for cardiovascular disease have now been shown to be reduced with diets that meet the current recommended dietary guidelines, ie, that provide appropriate levels of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and macronutrients. In addition, new data indicate that regular consumption of these diets is associated with decreased mortality. Adequate intake of minerals such as calcium and potassium-specifically derived from foods, where they coexist with other essential nutrients-contributes to cardiovascular as well as overall health.

Blood Pressure↗

Early-onset repeated dieting reduces food intake and body weight but not adiposity in dietary-obese female rats.

As dieting behavior and attempts at weight loss are becoming increasingly common in adolescent girls, we wished to determine whether early-onset repeated dieting influenced the development of obesity and its metabolic correlates. Female rats were fed a high-fat diet and subjected to six cycles of dieting and regain, beginning in the peripubertal period. Although dieted rats weighted less than nondieted high-fat fed controls at the completion of the sixth cycle, body composition analysis revealed that the two groups were equally obese. Cumulative caloric intake was less in dieted rats, suggesting that the pattern of consumption promoted by dieting helped to establish the obesity. Resting metabolic rate did not differ between the two groups. These data suggest that although early-onset repeated dieting may result in reduced body weight, the eventual level of adiposity may be unknowingly elevated, potentially leading to long-term health risks.

Adipose Tissue↗

Dietary obesity and weight cycling: effects on blood pressure and heart rate in rats.

The overconsumption of rich and palatable foods and "yo-yo" dieting are feeding patterns involved in obesity and possibly hypertension in humans. We therefore examined the effects of diet-induced obesity and weight cycling on the blood pressure and heart rate levels of 60-day-old male normotensive Sprague-Dawley (S-D) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. Six months on a high-fat and high-sucrose diet (HF/M) produced a greater obesity in S-D rats than in SHR rats. The caloric intakes of S-D rats fed the HF/M diet were greater than the caloric intakes of pellet-fed controls, whereas those of SHR rats were similar. The obesity of both strains was associated with hyperinsulinemia, heavier white (retroperitoneal) and brown (interscapular) fat pads, heavier heart weights, and tachycardia. Despite these changes, diet-induced obesity failed to increase systolic blood pressure obtained under light ether anesthesia or mean arterial pressure in the conscious state. Paradoxically, the blood pressures of SHR rats fed HF/M diet were reduced perhaps as a result of the high polyunsaturated fat component of the diet. A second S-D dietary obese group was alternated between 2-wk periods of unrestricted HF/M diet and 50% restricted pellet chow. Although their body weights were similar to pellet-fed controls, three cycles of weight loss and weight regain resulted in the consumption of increased dietary fat, increased food efficiency, heavier fat pads, and hyperinsulinemia. Heart rate and to some extent blood pressure fluctuated with diet, being elevated during HF/M feeding and reduced during restricted pellet feeding. Although weight cycling intensified the physiological responses to food ingestion, we found that weight cycling in dietary obese S-D rats did not elevate blood pressure levels.

Animals↗

Effects of masticatory muscle function and bite-raising on mandibular morphology in the growing rat.

The aim of this series of investigations was to study the effect of masticatory muscle function on the growth pattern and on the internal structure of the mandible during growth. The muscular and dentoskeletal growth adaptation to prolonged bite-raising and the role of the functional state of the masticatory muscles in this adaptation were also to be elucidated. Differences in masticatory muscle function were induced in young rats by altering the consistency of the diet. Bite-raising was produced by the insertion of posterior bite blocks. Morphometric analysis of the internal bone structures of the mandible was performed on microradiographs, and videodensitometric analysis was performed on lateral radiographs and microradiographs. The effect of muscle function and bite-raising on mandibular growth was studied on a series of lateral cephalograms, superimposed on bone markers. Muscle belly, sarcomere and aponeurosis length adaptation to bite-raising was studied in situ with a digital caliper and under a microscope after fluorescent vital staining of the deep masseter muscle. A soft diet altered the pattern of growth of the mandible and reduced bone growth in the angular region. Transversal dimensions and cross-sectional area of the dentoalveolar process were smaller. Bone mass in areas possibly subjected to direct loads or bending forces was smaller. This was due to either less trabecular bone or thinner cortical bone. Only a few sites showed lower bone density. Posterior bite-blocks affected the size of the mandible as well as its growth pattern, and intruded lower molars. The soft diet influenced the effect of bite-blocks and caused less intrusion of upper molars and less inhibition of bone growth at the angular process. The deep masseter muscle adapted to bite-raising by elongation of the aponeurosis, but less in rats on a soft diet. Changes in masticatory muscle function affected the growth of the mandible in both the sagittal and transversal plane. Reduced loads on molars and condyle and smaller bending forces in other regions of the mandible possibly reduced the levels of stimulation of the osteocyte network and osteoblasts, thus inducing less trabecular bone and cortical bone formation in specific areas. In rats fed the soft diet, smaller increase in bone density represented an adaptation process in areas characterised by a lower bone apposition rate. The forces produced by the passive stretching of the masseter muscle affected the skeletal growth pattern and dental eruption. Weaker forces possibly produced by passive stretching of hypofunctional muscles resulted in more eruption of the upper molars and less inhibition of periosteal bone apposition in the angular region. Length adaptation in the masseter muscle through lengthening of the aponeurosis and dentofacial growth adaptation possibly decreased passive forces applied to teeth and skeletal structures, particularly in rats with higher functional demands. This may have caused a gradually decreasing effect of the appliance.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Detrimental effects of short-term ethanol exposure on reproductive function in the female rat.

To more completely assess the means by which alcohol impairs the female reproductive cycle in rats, we have measured hypothalamic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH), pituitary LHRH receptor content, and the serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (Prl), and progesterone (P). After two successive cycles, the animals began receiving either an alcohol or a isocaloric control liquid diet regimen beginning on the first day of diestrus, with continued monitoring of the estrous cycle throughout the experiment. An additional set of controls consisted of animals maintained on lab chow and water provided ad libitum. Our results indicate that those animals receiving the control diets showed uninterrupted estrous patterns, whereas those animals receiving the alcohol diet remained in diestrus. Additionally, the alcohol-treated animals showed an increase (p less than 0.05) in LHRH content, with a concomitant decrease (p less than 0.01) in serum LH, and an increase (p less than 0.01) in serum Prl. No significant differences were detected in serum FSH levels or pituitary LHRH receptor content. No differences were detected in serum P levels. These results indicate that short-term alcohol administration disrupts the female reproductive cycle, causing persistent diestrus, and support our hypothesis that the alcohol-induced depression in serum LH levels is due to a diminished release rate of hypothalamic LHRH.

Animals↗

Effects of inverse changes in dietary lipid and carbohydrate on the synthesis of some pancreatic secretory proteins.

The effect of ingesting isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets with increasing amounts of lipid (0-30%) and consequently decreasing amounts of carbohydrates (68.7-1.25%) on the exocrine pancreas was studied in adult male Wistar rats. Pancreatic contents of chymotrypsin, lipase and colipase activity, as well as synthesis of amylase, lipase, procarboxypeptidases and individual serine proteases were examined. Lipid-free diets and diets containing 1% lipid were found to have little effect on pancreatic proteins as compared with lipid-rich diets where two distinct patterns of response were observed. Ingestion of diets containing 3-20% lipid resulted in a progressive increase in the activity of lipase, colipase and chymotrypsin up to 2-fold in the first case and 1.6-fold in the two other cases when animals were fed the 20% fat diet. Under the latter conditions, the relative synthesis of secretory proteins, as expressed as percentage of the radioactivity incorporated into individual proteins compared to that incorporated into the total mixture of exocrine proteins, was unchanged for procarboxypeptidases, whereas it was stimulated for lipase (2-fold) and serine proteases (1.6-fold). Amylase relative synthesis progressively decreased as the lipid content of diets increased. Consumption of hyperlipidic diets containing 25% and 30% fat resulted in a further enhancement in the activity of lipase and colipase in the gland in contrast with chymotrypsin activity which was unchanged as compared to the control diet (3% lipid). As far as biosynthesis was concerned, a plateau in the relative synthesis of lipase and serine protease was reached. Amylase relative synthesis further decreased down to 2.2-fold when rats were fed the 30% fat-rich diet whereas that of procarboxypeptidases was markedly increased (about 1.7-fold). Absolute rates of synthesis of total pancreatic secretory proteins, as expressed with regard to the DNA content of the tissue, indicated that biosynthesis of all secretory pancreatic proteins was stimulated by hyperlipidic diets (at least 2-fold with the 30% lipid diet). Consequently, when such an increase was taken into consideration, the absolute synthesis of amylase was found to be unchanged throughout the dietary manipulations, whereas that of lipase, procarboxypeptidases and serine proteases were stimulated by 4.0-fold, 3.4-fold and 3.2-fold, respectively.

Animals↗

Are all calories created equal? Emerging issues in weight management.

The global prevalence of overweight and obesity is growing. Correction of the problem through dietary intervention has been disappointing and has prompted research into variations of diet composition or pattern to promote negative energy balance. Limited research suggests that selected approaches, such as low-carbohydrate diets, augment weight loss and offer an advantage over conventional low-fat diets. This has led to the hypothesis that although in theoretical terms a calorie is a calorie, in practice this is not the case. Support for such views and plausible mechanisms exist. Although any advantage may augment weight management, reported discrepancies between theoretical and observed effects are small. Thus, energy-restricted diets should be based primarily on energy intake and expenditure.

Appetite↗