<p>The ingestion of excess fat often produces an increased body weight, because of
higher adiposity and accumulation of fat in the liver. However, modulation of
diet energy partition may affect differently the body metabolic responses and
the extent of lipid deposition. Ten-week-old male and female rats were fed with
either standard rat chow (SD), standard diet enriched with coconut oil
(high-fat diet, HF), standard diet enriched with protein (high-protein diet,
HP) or a self-selected “cafeteria” diet (CAF) for one month. Both HF and CAF
diets provided the same lipid-derived percentage of energy (40%) HP diet
protein-energy derived was twice (40%) than those of the SD diet. After the
treatment, CAF groups showed significant weight increases. Hepatic lipid
content also showed sex-related differences; triacylglycerol accumulation was
significant in HF and CAF fed males. Cholesterol content was higher only in the
CAF male group. Plasma estradiol in HF and HP males was higher than in CAF.
Circulating cholesterol was inversely correlated with estradiol levels, which
were proportional to lactate levels. These changes agreed with the differences
found in the expression of key hepatic enzymes of lipid and energy metabolism.
The protective effect of estrogens preventing excess liver lipid deposition, is
also effective in males with ‘normal’ diets
unbalanced by lipid or protein, but is not sufficient to protect males
from the massive changes produced by a markedly obesogenic cafeteria-type diet.
Estradiol protective effects are exerted at the root of energy metabolism, on
the partition of substrates distributed from or entering the liver. </p>
Acanthoic Acid Can Partially Prevent Alcohol Exposure-Induced Liver Lipid Deposition and Inflammation