The Influence of Dietary Fat and Carbohydrate on Growth and Longevity in Rats

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Abstract
Male and female rats receiving a high fat diet (22.7% fat) grew fully as rapidly as those on a carbohydrate diet (3.4% fat), although they consumed 4.8 and 5.7% less total calories, respectively. No seasonal variation in food consumption occurred on any of the diets fed. The life span of male rats ingesting the high fat diet decreased markedly and there was also a less pronounced but significant decrease in the longevity of the females. Increased efficiency of utilization of the diet was correlated with decrease in life span, but increased caloric intake per se was not so associated. The livers of males on the high fat diet contained significantly more fat than those of males fed the carbohydrate diet. The histopathological data and the frequency of diseases and abnormalities, however, revealed nothing that could be interpreted as a fat-induced cause of premature death.