Energy balance following diets of varying fat content: metabolic dysregulation in a rodent model of spinal cord contusion

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is linked with greater risk for obesity, type ‐2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease. Using a rodent model of moderate thoracic level contusion, we report long‐term body weight, body composition, metabolic rate and circulating analyte changes following chronic consumption of butter diets varying in fat percentage. These diets resulted in substantial body weight gain in both SCI and Sham rats. Cord injury results increased energy expenditure long‐term in SCI rats. Chronic spinal cord injury coupled with a diet rich in saturated fat accelerates weight gain, muscle lipids and sarcopenic obesity. AbstractWithin the spinal cord injured (SCI) population, metabolic dysfunction may be exacerbated. Models of cord injury coupled with metabolic stressors have translational relevance to understand disease progression in this population. In the present study, we used a rat model of thoracic SCI at level T10 (tSCI) and administered diets comprised of either 9% or 40% butterfat to create a unique model system to understand the physiology of weight regulation following cord injury. SCI rats that recovered on chow for 28  days had reduced body mass, lean mass, and reduced fat mass but no differences in percentage of lean or fat mass composition. Following 12 weeks on either low‐fat diet (LFD) or high‐fat diet (HFD), SCI rats maintained on LFD did not gain weight at the same rate as SCI animals maintained on HF D. LFD‐SCI had reduced feed co...
Source: Physiological Reports - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: Original Research Source Type: research