Influence of Frequency of Feeding Low Protein Diets on Lipid Metabolism in Adult Rats Recovering from Malnutrition

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Abstract
The influence frequency of feeding low protein diets on lipid metabolism was studied in adult rats recovering from chronic malnutrition. Malnourished rats were refed up to 30 days either ad libitum or by the 8–16 meal pattern (8-hour + 16-hour fast). Repletion diets contained 4.5% of calories from protein and either cornstarch or cornstarch plus corn oil as the energy source. Food efficiency when the low fat diet was fed was not different for either meal pattern, but meal-fed rats fed the high fat diet had a greater food efficiency ratio than ad libitum controls. Consequently during the last 20 days of refeeding, meal-fed rats fed the corn-oil diet accumulated epididymal lipid at a rate 3 times that of ad libitum controls. The lipogenic response in epididymal tissue was accompanied by increased activity of the hexosemonophosphate shunt dehydrogenases (HMPD), malic enzyme and citrate-cleavage enzyme. Both epididymal and hepatic HMPD and malic enzyme activities decreased with time, but the rate of decrease was greater in rats fed ad libitum than in meal-fed rats. After 30 days, the activities of both epididymal enzymes were slightly greater in meal-fed rats than in ad libitum controls fed the low fat diet. Mature meal-fed rats therefore seem to develop metabolic characteristics similar to those frequently observed in young meal-fed rats.