Effect of Feeding Sucrose or Starch to Rats Made Diabetic With Streptozotocin

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Abstract
Diets containing 54% of either sucrose or starch were fed to rats made diabetic with streptozotocin to determine the effects of dietary carbohydrate on severity of the resultant diabetes. Thirty-two male rats were injected with streptozotocin (35 mg/kg body weight); 16 control rats were injected with buffer alone. Signs of hyperphagia, polydipsia and polyuria were apparent 5 days after injection. After feeding a stock diet for 12 to 13 days, an oral glucose load (250 mg/100 g body weight) was given. Equivalent 1-hour serum glucose levels were the basis for dividing streptozotocin injected rats into two groups: 16 fed starch and 16 fed sucrose, and control rats into 8 fed starch and 8 fed sucrose. After rats were fed the sucrose and starch diets for 5 weeks, urinary volume and glucose, and food and water intakes were determined. The diabetic rats were further divided into “mildly” and “moderately” diabetic rats. After an additional 4 weeks, urine volume and glucose were greatest in moderately diabetic rats fed sucrose. In this group, serum glucose before, 1, and 4 hours after a glucose load was greatest and fasting serum insulin tended to be lowest. Glucose was generally higher in rats fed sucrose. Perirenal fat deposits and body weights were highest in midly diabetic rats fed sucrose and somewhat lower in moderately diabetic rats. These results indicate that sucrose feeding augmented the symptoms of streptozotocin-diabetes in rats.