Metabolic Effects in Rats of a Diet with a Moderate Level of Medium-Chain Triglycerides

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition Vol. 121; no. 5; pp. 585 - 594
• Main Authors: Chanez, Marc, Bois-Joyeux, Brigitte, Arnaud, Maurice J., Peret, Jean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.05.1991; American Society for Nutritional Sciences
• Subjects: ACTIVIDAD ENZIMATICA; ACTIVITE ENZYMATIQUE; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - analysis; Cholesterol - blood; CORPS GRAS; DIETA; Dietary Carbohydrates - administration & dosage; dietary fat; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Energy Intake; Energy Metabolism; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GRASAS; Insulin - blood; Ketone Bodies - blood; Lipids - blood; LIPOGENESE; LIPOGENESIS; lipogenic enzyme activities; Liver - enzymology; Liver - metabolism; Liver Glycogen - analysis; Male; medium-chain triglycerides; Organ Size; RAT; RATA; Rats; REGIME ALIMENTAIRE; TRIGLICERIDOS; TRIGLYCERIDE; Triglycerides - administration & dosage; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight Gain; medium-chain triglycerides; rats; lipogenic enzyme activities; dietary fat; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Enzymatic activity; Rat; Diet; Rodentia; Lipids; Lipogenesis; Metabolism; Fatty acids; Feeding
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.1093/jn/121.5.585

Energy intake, weight gain, carcass composition, plasma fuels, hepatic metabolites and lipogenic enzyme activities were studied in adult rats fed either a low fat, high carbohydrate (LF) diet or one of two fat-containing diets in which 32% of the metabolizable energy was constituted by long-chain triglycerides (LCT) or medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). Compared with the LF diet, the MCT diet did not depress food and energy intake, weight gain, energy and nitrogen retention or lipid deposition and did not produce ketogenesis. The weight gain of rats fed LCT was 25% higher, and increased lipid deposition was observed. Lower lipogenic enzyme activities were observed in rats fed the LF diet containing 4% corn oil than in rats fed the MCT diet containing 1% corn oil. This effect disappeared when rats previously adapted to the LCT diet were fed LF or MCT diets containing 1% corn oil for 21 d. By d 21, in both groups, hepatic malic enzyme, ATP-citrate lyase, acetyl CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase activities were 2.2-, 2.0-, 2.3- and 1.8-fold higher than those of rats fed LCT. Intermediate hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities were observed in rats fed the MCT diet, compared with LCT (40% lower) and LF (1.6-fold higher) diets. These data show that in rats fed a diet in which MCT supplies 32% of metabolizable energy, a high activity of lipogenic enzymes is observed, suggesting that MCT had no inhibitory effect on the activity of these enzymes.