Sex and individual differences in meal patterns mediate the persistency of running-associated high-fat diet avoidance in rats

Tiffany Y. Yang, Jennie C. Gardner, Juliet D. Gentile, Nu Chu Liang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Sex and individ-ual differences in meal patterns mediate the persistency of running-associated high-fat diet avoidance in rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 316: R130 –R143, 2019. First published November 7, 2018; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00231.2018.—The modern environment is characterized by convenient access to a variety of high-fat (HF) foods and encourages excess energy intake, which leads to weight gain. While healthier diets and exercise are common interventions that facilitate energy balance, meal patterns also influence body weight and energy metabolism. The current study characterized the association among exercise, diet choice, and meal patterns in rats. Unlike sedentary rats, which prefer a HF to a chow diet, wheel-running rats initially avoid the HF diet. Subsequently, the running-induced HF diet avoidance persists longer in males than in females. We hypothesized that differences in meal patterns contribute to sex differences in the prevalence and persistency of HF diet avoidance. During two-diet choice, rats did not mix chow and HF diet within a meal and consumed discrete meals of each diet. Exercise decreased chow meal size in both sexes (4.5 vs. 5.7 kcal) but decreased total meal frequency only in male rats. Analyses of individual differences revealed WR rats that maintained HF diet avoidance (HF avoiders) had larger chow than HF meals (5.2 vs. 1.3 kcal) upon initial 3 days of diet choice. When compared with rats that reversed HF avoidance (HF eaters), HF avoiders had shorter latency to consume their first meal of HF diet (2.6 vs. 98.9 min) upon initial running and diet choice. Taken together, these results suggest that both sex and individual differences in meal patterns contribute to differences in the persistency of exercise-associated HF diet avoidance.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)R130-R143
JournalAmerican Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology
Volume316
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2019

Keywords

  • Diet preference
  • High-fat diet
  • Individual differences
  • Meal patterns
  • Sex differences
  • Wheel running

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Physiology (medical)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Sex and individual differences in meal patterns mediate the persistency of running-associated high-fat diet avoidance in rats'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this