Lipoic acid prevents body weight gain induced by a high fat diet in rats: Effects on intestinal sugar transport

• Published in: Journal of physiology and biochemistry 2009-03, Vol.65 (1), p.43-50
• Main Authors: Prieto-Hontoria, P. L., Pérez-Matute, P., Fernández-Galilea, M., Barber, A., Martínez, J. A., Moreno-Aliaga, M. J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue - drug effects; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Animal Physiology; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Carbohydrate Metabolism - drug effects; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; Eating; Human Physiology; Intestinal Absorption - drug effects; Male; Organ Size; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Thioctic Acid - pharmacology; Weight Gain - drug effects
• ISSN: 1138-7548; 1877-8755
• DOI: 10.1007/BF03165968

Several studies have suggested that oxidative stress might cause and aggravate the inflammatory state associated with obesity and could be the link between excessive weight gain and its related disorders such as insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, antioxidant treatment has been proposed as a therapy to prevent and manage obesity and associated complications. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of supplementation of a standard or high fat diet with the antioxidant lipoic acid (LA) during 56 days, on body weight gain, adiposity, feed efficiency and intestinal sugar absorption, in male Wistar rats. LA supplementation induced a lower body weight gain and adipose tissue size in both control or high fat fed rats accompanied by a reduction in food intake. The group fed on a high fat diet and treated with LA (OLIP group) showed a lower body weight gain than its corresponding Pair-Fed (PF) group ( P