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PubMed2006

Pronounced lipoatrophy in HIV-infected men receiving HAART for more than 6 years compared with the background population.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the prevalence and quantify the severity of body fat redistribution and dyslipidaemia in HIV-infected men after long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) compared with the background population. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, we included 87 HIV-infected men who had received HAART for at least 6 years and 34 HIV-negative men. Regional body composition was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Fasting metabolic parameters were obtained. Associations between regional body fat distribution and metabolic parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: HIV-infected patients and controls did not differ with regard to height and lean body mass. Compared with controls, HIV-infected men had reduced total fat mass (median 12.3 versus 19.2 kg, P<0.001), limb fat mass (4.3 versus 7.9 kg, P<0.001), and trunk fat mass (6.7 versus 10.8 kg, P<0.001) and higher trunk/limb fat ratio (1.7 versus 1.2, P<0.001). Also, patients without clinical lipodystrophy had reduced amounts of limb and trunk fat. In HIV-infected men, triglyceride levels were higher (2.0 versus 1.2 mmol/L, P<0.001), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels were lower (1.2 versus 1.3 mmol/L, P<0.05) and insulin levels were higher (40.8 versus 29.9 pmol/L, P<0.01) than in controls. All adverse metabolic parameters correlated with increased trunk/limb fat ratio, and insulin levels correlated positively with trunk fat mass (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Peripheral as well as central fat loss is a general characteristic of HIV-infected men after long-term HAART. Although lipoatrophy was the dominant morphological presentation, the adverse metabolic parameters were mainly associated with the increased ratio of trunk/limb fat.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1993

An epidemiological test of the hyperinsulinemia-hypertension hypothesis.

The association between hyperinsulinemia and hypertension was tested in a population of 421 men and 228 women from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Subjects are white, middle-class, generally healthy, community-dwelling volunteers who ranged in age from 17-95 yr. Those with disease or medications known to influence any of the studied variables were excluded from the analysis. Twenty-five percent of the subjects were borderline or hypertensive [systolic blood pressure (BP) > or = 140 or diastolic BP > or = 90 mm Hg]. Standard oral glucose tolerance tests were performed; the logarithms of the fasting insulin level and insulin area were used in the analyses. In addition, body mass index and percent body fat (from age and skinfold thickness equations) and waist hip ratio were computed. In simple correlations, systolic BP and diastolic BP were statistically significantly related to insulin levels (only 1-4% of the variance was explained). Since age, body fat, fat distribution, insulin levels, and BP were highly intercorrelated, insulin and blood pressure correlations were examined after controlling for the confounding variables. Correlations of BP and insulin levels adjusted for age, body fat, and fat distribution were entirely nonsignificant. In this large noninterventive population study, the hyperinsulinemia-hypertension hypothesis is not confirmed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Relationship between body composition changes and changes in physical function and metabolic risk factors in aging.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Several body composition changes are known to occur with aging. The purpose of this review is to evaluate recent literature examining body composition changes with aging and how these relate to changes in physical function and metabolic risk. RECENT FINDINGS: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have observed increases in fat mass and decreases in muscle mass or lean tissue mass in older adults, often in the absence of differences or changes in body weight. Cross-sectional studies have also reported increases in intramyocellular lipid and liver fat in older versus younger adults and related changes in body composition with changes in physical function and metabolic risk, but few longitudinal data are available. Furthermore, most longitudinal studies lack precise methods of assessing body fat distribution and muscle and organ quality, resulting in a lack of detailed and precise information on body composition changes with aging and their relationship to health. SUMMARY: Research to date has outlined a need for more detailed body composition measurements of aging adults. Absence of change in a total body compartment may mask a change in subcompartments that may impact health. Furthermore, intervention studies to determine ways to maintain body composition are consistent with healthy living throughout the aging process.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1996

Elevated ambulatory day-time blood pressure in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a sign of a pre-hypertensive state?

The aim of this study was to evaluate office and 24 h blood pressures in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and normal controls in relation to insulin sensitivity. Office blood pressure, insulin sensitivity (euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp) and body fat distribution (skin-folds, waits:hip ratio) were investigated in 36 women with PCOS and 55 controls [body mass index (BMI) for PCOS patients, mean (confidence interval) 26.3 (24.6-28.2); controls, 25.1 (24.0-26.9)], and ambulatory 24 h blood pressure was recorded in representative subgroups of 17 and 16 women respectively. Compared with the controls, the women with PCOS had higher day-time systolic (mean +/- SD, 126 +/- 11 versus 119 +/- 12 mm Hg, P < 0.05) and mean arterial blood pressures (92 +/- 7 versus 86 +/- 7 mm Hg, P < 0.05) in ambulatory recordings, and greater increases in pulse rate (70%; P < 0.05) from night to day-time recordings, whereas the groups did not differ significantly in day-time diastolic blood pressure (74 +/- 6 versus 70 +/- 6 mm Hg, P = 0.05) or in night-time recordings. The women with PCOS had a more pronounced truncal-abdominal fat distribution (P < 0.05) and a lower insulin-mediated glucose disposal (P < 0.01) during the clamp. The increased day-time blood pressures in women with PCOS persisted after adjusting for BMI, body fat distribution and insulin resistance. It is concluded that women with PCOS have an increased prevalence of labile blood pressure, which may indicate a pre-hypertensive state, adding a further risk factor for cardiovascular disease in these women.

Androgens↗
PubMed2001

Assessing abdominal fatness with local bioimpedance analysis: basics and experimental findings.

OBJECTIVE: Abdominal fat is of major importance in terms of body fat distribution but is poorly reflected in conventional body impedance measurements. We developed a new technique for assessing the abdominal subcutaneous fat layer thickness (SFL) with single-frequency determination of the electrical impedance across the waist (SAI). SUBJECTS AND MEASUREMENTS: The method uses a tetrapolar arrangement of surface electrodes which are placed symmetrically to the umbilicus in a plane perpendicular to the body axis. Twenty-four test subjects (12 male, 12 female) underwent SAI and abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The SFL below the sensing electrodes was determined from MRI and correlated with the SAI data at four different frequencies (5, 20, 50 and 204 kHz). RESULTS: A highly significant linear correlation (r2=0.99) between SFL and SAI over a wide range of the abdominal SFL was found. Separate regression models for female and male subjects did not differ significantly, except at 50 kHz. CONCLUSION: SAI represents a good predictor of the SFL and provides an excellent tool for the assessment of central obesity.

Abdomen↗
PubMed2005

Central fat excess in polycystic ovary syndrome: relation to low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance.

BACKGROUND: It is controversial whether the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) per se increases low-grade chronic inflammation and whether this relates to central fat excess. In addition, the association between circulating sex hormones and body fat distribution in premenopausal women is debated. METHODS: Blood was drawn from 20 patients with PCOS and compared with 15 controls, matched for body mass index and age. Regional fat distribution was assessed using dual x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients with PCOS had a higher trunk to extremity fat ratio (T/E fat), were more insulin resistant (higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and lower SHBG concentrations), and had higher levels of highly sensitive C-reactive protein, TNF-alpha, procalcitonin, and white blood cell count (all P < or = 0.04), even after adjusting for total body fat. However, additional adjusting for T/E fat eliminated or attenuated the effect of PCOS status on estimates of insulin resistance, on inflammatory mediators, and on white blood cell count but not on circulating sex hormones. Independently of each other, total body fat as well as T/E fat correlated with estimates of insulin resistance and most inflammatory mediators (P < or = 0.04). However, the correlations between T/E fat and circulating sex hormones (P < or = 0.02) were greatly reduced after adjustment for the presence of PCOS. CONCLUSION: The increase in low-grade chronic inflammation and in insulin resistance in women with PCOS is primarily associated with increased central fat excess rather than PCOS status per se. Procalcitonin represents a novel marker of the inflammatory activity of body fat and of PCOS.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2004

Lipid and lipoprotein profile in menopausal transition. Effects of hormones, age and fat distribution.

The behavior of lipoproteins during the menopausal transition and their relationship with sex hormones and body fat distribution is still unclear. Our aim was to evaluate atherogenic IDL, LDL, Lp(a) and antiatherogenic HDL lipoproteins in four groups of women: premenopausal (n = 20), menopausal transition women with menstrual bleeding (n = 31), menopausal transition women with 3 to 6 months amenorrhea (n = 36), and postmenopausal women (n = 30). We also measured their FSH, LH and estradiol levels along with BMI and waist circumference. Menopausal transition and postmenopausal women showed higher values of waist circumference (p < 0.0032), LDL-cholesterol (p < 0.002), IDL-cholesterol (p < 0.002) and apoprotein B (p < 0.0001) than premenopausal women. Total-cholesterol (p < 0.0001), triglycerides (p < 0.004), IDL-cholesterol and Lp(a) were higher in menopausal transition women with amenorrhea and in postmenopausal women in comparison with premenopausal women. After adjustment according to age and waist circumference, multiple regression analysis showed the increase in total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol to be linearly associated to menopausal status and estradiol concentration, whereas Lp(a) was only related to menopausal status. Age was found to be an independent variable in relation to apoprotein B concentration changes. The effect of menopausal status on TG levels did not remain in the model when age, waist and BMI were included (beta = 0.05, p = 0.356). HDL-cholesterol levels were the same in all the groups. Menopause, age and the increase in abdominal fat distribution were three independent and significant factors impairing lipoprotein profiles from the beginning of the menopausal transition.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1993

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry versus skinfold measurements in the assessment of total body fat in renal transplant recipients.

Traditional methods for estimating total body fat rely on the assumption that body fat distribution and bone mineral content are constant. However, in patients undergoing renal transplantation rapid changes in body composition occur, with variations in fat distribution and bone mineral content. In order to determine the reliability of skinfold measurement (SFM) in these patients, we compared it with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), which estimates body composition without reliance on assumptions of constant fat distribution and bone mineral content. Thirty-four adult renal transplant recipients were studied at the time of transplantation and again after 3 and 6 months. The correlation coefficients of DEXA vs SFM at the three time points were 0.84, 0.78, 0.85, respectively (P = 0.0001). In 34 healthy adults serving as controls, the correlation coefficient was 0.95 (P = 0.0001). Total body fat increased progressively following renal transplantation (P < 0.03 by 6 months) with SFM showing considerable disagreement with DEXA measurements of percentage total body fat. Thus skinfold measurements underestimated changes in total body fat following renal transplantation, especially in those gaining substantial amounts of body fat, and DEXA appeared to be a more appropriate technique.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed2006

Changes in intra-abdominal fat in early postmenopausal women: effects of hormone use.

OBJECTIVE: Intra-abdominal fat (IAF) accumulates with age, is greater among postmenopausal vs. premenopausal women, and is linked to risk for both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prevents or attenuates changes in IAF and related risk factors is not clear. The objectives of this observational study were to 1) determine whether HRT attenuated the expected age-related increase in IAF and 2) identify the independent effects of HRT and fat distribution on changes in disease risk factors. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Subjects were early postmenopausal white women 45 to 55 years of age. Women either used HRT at the time of enrollment (n = 33) or did not (n = 17). Subjects were evaluated at baseline and 2 years for body composition (DXA), body fat distribution (computed tomography), insulin sensitivity (Si; minimal model), and serum lipids. RESULTS: IAF increased significantly over 2 years, and this increase was not attenuated by HRT. HRT users had less IAF throughout the study. HRT users showed an increase in Si, whereas non-users showed a decrease. Superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue was significantly and independently related to total cholesterol, whereas IAF was related to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and Si. DISCUSSION: HRT users had less IAF at baseline and throughout the study. Whether HRT altered the relationship between total body fat and IAF or whether differences between groups existed before the study should be addressed through a randomized, interventional study design. HRT had a significant effect on Si; IAF and superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue were significant determinants of disease risk factors.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1998

The influence of sex hormones on obesity across the female life span.

Women have a higher prevalence of obesity than men in most developed countries. Obesity affects many aspects of women's health by increasing risk for heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, and infertility. One reason for the gender difference in obesity may be that fluctuations in reproductive hormone concentrations throughout women's lives uniquely predispose them to excess weight gain. Studies in experimental animals and women have shown that hormonal changes across the menstrual cycle affect calorie and macronutrient intake and alter 24-hour energy expenditure. Pregnancy is a significant factor in the development of obesity for many women. Various factors are associated with excess weight retention following pregnancy, including weight gain during pregnancy, ethnicity, dietary patterns, and interval between pregnancies. There is a need to tailor recommendations for energy intake during pregnancy to individual women, and recent evidence also suggests that the timing of weight gain during pregnancy is a critical factor. Menopause is also a high-risk time for weight gain in women. Although the average woman gains 2-5 pounds during menopausal transition, some women are at risk for greater weight gains. There is also a hormonally driven shift in body fat distribution from peripheral to abdominal at menopause, which may increase health risks in older women. Hormone therapies have varying impacts on body weight and fat distribution. In summary, hormonal fluctuations across the female life span may explain the increased risk for obesity in women. Awareness of these factors allows development of targets for prevention and early intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Body composition and age in African-American and Caucasian women: relationship to plasma leptin levels.

Leptin is a recently isolated peptide hormone released from adipocytes that has been postulated to play a role in appetite regulation and energy metabolism. Aging affects both food intake and body composition. Body composition is also affected by ethnicity. We have evaluated the relationships between serum leptin levels, age, body composition (by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), and hormonal parameters in a cross-sectional study of 94 women, 53 African-American (AAF) and 41 Caucasian (CF). Our hypotheses were as follows: (1) changes in body composition would be related to age in a sinusoidal pattern, (2) changes in serum leptin would parallel changes in body fat, (3) serum leptin levels would be influenced by body fat distribution, and (4) serum leptin would be related to serum concentrations of sex hormones. Serum leptin paralleled changes in body fat and body mass index (BMI) with age. In the entire group, serum leptin correlated closely with measures of body fat, including BMI and total fat mass, and there was no difference in leptin levels between the two ethnic groups. In simple regression analysis, serum leptin was related to both serum estradiol and testosterone. The relationship between serum leptin and trunk fat was linear in both groups, but significantly different in AAF and CF (P = .014). Serum leptin was associated with the trunk to lower-extremity fat ratio in CF (r = .67, P = .001) but not in AAF. Body fat was increased with advancing age until about 65 years and then declined. Measures of lean body mass declined linearly with age in the entire group, as well as both subgroups. In the entire group, total lean body mass and lean body mass corrected for BMI (lean body mass/BMI) were inversely related to age. In subjects aged less than 60 years AAF were stronger (P < .05) and had both a larger BMI and fat mass (P < .05) than CF. However, the patterns of age-related changes in fat body mass, lean body mass, and BMI were similar in both groups. In the entire group, multiple regression analysis indicated that the age, free thyroxine index (FTI), and leptin concentration were predictors of the body composition and distribution of trunk to lower-body fat. These observations indicate that there is a sinusoidal relationship between body fat and age, with a decline in body fat in extreme old age in both AAF and CF, and that serum leptin concentrations are more closely related to body fat and BMI than to age or ethnicity.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lower body subcutaneous fat accumulation and diabetes mellitus risk.

BACKGROUND: Type II diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with obesity. However, body fat distribution plays an important role in this disease's pathogenesis. The prevailing hypothesis is that a more central distribution of adipose tissue relative to peripheral locations is associated with DM. I hypothesized that preferential accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue in the lower body is associated with a lesser likelihood of insulin resistance (IR) and DM than when fat accumulates in a central distribution. This is independent of the body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference. METHODS: Upper and lower body circumferences and skinfold thickness were related to IR and DM in 7634 adults in the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey population that underwent oral glucose tolerance testing after an overnight fast. Logistic regression and contour analyses were used to determine the effect circumference and skinfold thickness measurements had on the presence of IR or DM. The various measurements were then stratified into BMI categories to refine the contribution each factor made to these diseases further. RESULTS: Truncal subcutaneous fat correlated positively with IR and DM after correction for age and BMI. The thigh circumference and skinfold thickness correlated negatively. Regression and graphic analysis of the BMI-thigh skinfold thickness-IR relationship demonstrated that the greatest degree of IR occurred in the obese who had relatively small lower body adipose tissue depots. Those with large accumulations of lower body subcutaneous fat were less likely to have IR or DM. CONCLUSION: The results of this study have shown that the accumulation of fat in lower body subcutaneous adipose tissue depots is associated with a lower likelihood of IR and DM than when it deposits in centrally located sites. Lower body peripheral fat may serve to buffer the effect of excess ingested energy, and central body fat may be involved in the pathogenesis of IR and DM. This effect was independent of overall adiposity in men and women and independent of waist circumference in men.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

[Selected anthropometric findings in women with disorders of glucose tolerance with hypertension].

In a group of 26 women with an impaired glucose tolerance anthropometric measurements of basic somatometric characteristics were made with special attention to the subcutaneous fat distribution and compared the findings with the healthy Czech population. Changes in body build, BMI, subcutaneous body fat distribution were evaluated and the causality of the relationship between blood pressure and gluteofemoral and abdominal obesity was investigated. From the author's observations ensues that in the group of women with impaired glucose tolerance overweight was recorded, as compared with the normal population, disproportions in the circumferences of the trunk and extremities, an excessive percentage of body fat, well developed muscles. In abdominal obesity a significant increase of the blood pressure and BMI was found.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Android fat distribution by age and sex. The waist hip ratio.

The waist hip ratio, an indicator of upper body fat distribution, is an early sign of atherogenic disease and diabetes risk. The distribution of the waist hip ratio in 18,393 members of the French population aged 17 to 60 years is described according to sex and five year age groups. Men had a higher mean waist hip ratio (0.913 vs 0.791, p < 0.001) and women a higher standard deviation (0.074 vs 0.067, p < 0.001). The distributions overlapped by only 33%. Sex-specific figures show the waist hip dispersion according to age. If this parameter is a reliable clinical indicator in cardiovascular and metabolic epidemiology these descriptive data are essential. They precede the study of possible associations between the waist hip ratio and the risk factors for insulin resistance, atherogenic diseases and diabetes.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2006

Pubertal correlates in black and white girls.

OBJECTIVES: Since pubertal maturation is an important covariate in studies that evaluate physical and social changes that occur during the teen years, we examined pubertal parameters in a group of US girls. STUDY DESIGN: Black and white girls recruited at age 9 were followed annually for 10 years. Preece-Baines model 1 was used to estimate tempo and growth parameters. The temporal trend between age of menarche and onset of puberty was calculated. RESULTS: The study included 615 (77.2% prepubertal) white and 541 (49.4% prepubertal) black participants. Mean onset of puberty was 10.2 and 9.6 years in white and black girls, respectively, menarche was 12.6 and 12.0, achievement of Tanner growth stage 5 was 14.3 and 13.6, and achievement of adult height was 17.1 and 16.5 years. The Pearson's correlation coefficient between menarche and onset of puberty was .37. CONCLUSIONS: Menarche is often used as a marker for onset of puberty and for timing of puberty. Data gathered over the past 20 years suggest only moderate correlation between menarche and onset of puberty (.37-.38), which has decreased significantly during the last 50 years. This suggests the existence of both similar and unique factors that impact the age at onset of puberty and age at menarche.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Gender difference in postprandial lipemia : importance of visceral adipose tissue accumulation.

Insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL-cholesterol concentrations are common features of a plurimetabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of coronary artery disease. Although it has been proposed that the development of atherosclerosis through alterations in plasma lipid levels could be a postprandial phenomenon, most studies on gender differences in plasma lipoprotein-lipid concentrations have reported fasting levels. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine the response of postprandial triglyceride-rich lipoproteins to a standardized meal in 63 men and 25 women. In addition to the measurement of fasting and postprandial plasma lipid levels, numerous physical and metabolic variables were assessed, including body composition by underwater weighing and body fat distribution by computed tomography. Although no gender difference was noted in total body fat mass, men were characterized by a preferential accumulation of abdominal adipose tissue as revealed by an increased waist circumference and a greater visceral adipose tissue accumulation (50% difference) compared with women (P<0.001). Men also showed a greater plasma triglyceride response (P<0.005) as well as increased postprandial insulin and free fatty acid levels compared with women (P<0.01). Visceral adipose tissue was significantly associated with the postprandial triglyceride response in both genders (men: r=0.49, P<0. 0001; women: r=0.43, P<0.05). Finally, when men and women were matched for visceral adipose tissue accumulation, the gender difference in postprandial plasma triglyceride response was eliminated. Thus results of the present study suggest that the well known gender difference in visceral adipose tissue accumulation is an important contributing factor involved in the exaggerated postprandial triglyceride-rich lipoprotein response noted in men compared with women.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2002

Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Filipina-American women : a high-risk nonobese population.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and features of the metabolic syndrome among Filipina and Caucasian women in San Diego County, California. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data on several chronic diseases were collected between 1992 and 1999 from community-dwelling Filipina (n=294) and Caucasian (n=379) women aged 50-69 years. RESULTS: Filipina and Caucasian women did not differ in mean age (59.7 vs. 60 years, respectively), BMI (25.6 vs. 25.4 kg/m(2)), percentage of body fat (33.5 vs. 34.2%), or waist-to-hip ratio (0.84 vs. 0.83), although Filipinas had larger waist circumferences and higher percentages of truncal fat. Compared with Caucasians, Filipinas were less likely to be obese (BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2), 8.8 vs. 14%, P=0.04) and less likely to smoke, consume alcohol, or take postmenopausal estrogen; Filipinas also had lower levels of HDL cholesterol. Compared with Caucasians, Filipinas had higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes by oral glucose tolerance test criteria (36 vs. 9%) and the metabolic syndrome (34 vs. 13%). These differences persisted after adjusting for age, body size, fat distribution, percentage of body fat, smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, and estrogen therapy. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 10% of Filipinas with diabetes were obese, compared with one third of Caucasians with diabetes. The finding of a high prevalence of diabetes in an unstudied nonobese ethnic group reinforces the importance of expanding the study of diabetes to diverse populations. The high prevalence of diabetes in populations who are not of Northern European ancestry may be missed when they are not obese by Western standards.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

[Effect of different post-weaning dietary compositions on body fat content and hormone-sensitive lipase gene expression in rats fed with high-fat diet].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of different postweaning dietary compositions on body fat content and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) gene expression in rats fed a high-fat diet. METHODS: Male Wistar rats weaned on 24 days were randomly divided into A, B, C, D groups and were fed on high carbohydrate, high protein, high unsaturated fatty acid and high saturated fatty acid diet respectively. After 3 weeks, all rats were assigned to basic diet for two weeks, then rats from A group were randomly divided into A1 and A2 subgroups. A1 subgroup was fed on basic diet continuously. A2 subgroup and B, C and D groups were assigned to high-fat diet for six weeks. Eight rats from each group were sacrificed at the end of different treatments to detect body weight, body fat content and blood glucose level. RT-PCR was used to determine the gene expression of hormone-sensitive lipase in white adipose tissue. RESULTS: Body weight, body fat content and blood glucose level in C group were significantly lower than those in A2 subgroup on 11 weeks (P < 0.05). The body weight, body fat content in B2 group were significantly lower than those in A2 subgroup (P < 0.05), but blood glucose level was higher than A2 subgroup on 11 weeks (P > 0.05). The body weight in D group was significantly lower than that in A2 subgroup (P < 0.05), but body fat content and blood glucose level were not significantly lower than A2 subgroup on 11 weeks (P > 0.05). The expression of HSL in B2 and C group was higher on 9 weeks and 11 weeks respectively. The HSL mRNA levels in all groups on 3 weeks were similar to that on 11 weeks. CONCLUSION: Feeding on high unsaturated-fatty acid diet after weaning may significantly reduce the body weight, body fat content, improve the abnormal blood glucose level in rats induced by high-fat diet. It was suggested that the high unsaturated-fatty acid diet can be reasonable for weaned rats and gene expression regulation may be involved in programming later obesity by early nutrition.

Adipose Tissue↗