Fructose consumption does not worsen bone deficits resulting from high-fat feeding in young male rats

• Published in: Bone (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2016-04, Vol.85, p.99-106
• Main Authors: Yarrow, Joshua F, Toklu, Hale Z, Balaez, Alex, Phillips, Ean G, Otzel, Dana M, Chen, Cong, Wronski, Thomas J, Aguirre, J. Ignacio, Sakarya, Yasemin, Tümer, Nihal, Scarpace, Philip J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipocytes - drug effects; Adipocytes - pathology; Adipogenesis - drug effects; Adipose; Adiposity; Animals; Biomarkers - blood; Body Composition - drug effects; Body Weight - drug effects; Bone and Bones - diagnostic imaging; Bone and Bones - drug effects; Bone and Bones - pathology; Bone and Bones - physiopathology; Bone Marrow - drug effects; Bone Marrow - pathology; Bone Marrow - physiopathology; Cancellous Bone - drug effects; Cancellous Bone - pathology; Cancellous Bone - physiopathology; Diet; Diet, High-Fat; Fat; Feeding Behavior; Fructose - pharmacology; Male; Orthopedics; Osteoporosis; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sugar; X-Ray Microtomography
• ISSN: 8756-3282; 1873-2763
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2016.02.004

Abstract Dietary-induced obesity (DIO) resulting from high-fat (HF) or high-sugar diets produces a host of deleterious metabolic consequences including adverse bone development. We compared the effects of feeding standard rodent chow (Control), a 30% moderately HF (starch-based/sugar-free) diet, or a combined 30%/40% HF/high-fructose (HF/F) diet for 12 weeks on cancellous/cortical bone development in male Sprague–Dawley rats aged 8 weeks. Both HF feeding regimens reduced the lean/fat mass ratio, elevated circulating leptin, and reduced serum total antioxidant capacity (tAOC) when compared with Controls. Distal femur cancellous bone mineral density (BMD) was 23–34% lower in both HF groups (p < 0.001) and was characterized by lower cancellous bone volume (BV/TV, p < 0.01), lower trabecular number (Tb.N, p < 0.001), and increased trabecular separation versus Controls (p < 0.001). Cancellous BMD, BV/TV, and Tb.N were negatively associated with leptin and positively associated with tAOC at the distal femur. Similar cancellous bone deficits were observed at the proximal tibia, along with increased bone marrow adipocyte density (p < 0.05), which was negatively associated with BV/TV and Tb.N. HF/F animals also exhibited lower osteoblast surface and reduced circulating osteocalcin (p < 0.05). Cortical thickness (p < 0.01) and tissue mineral density (p < 0.05) were higher in both HF-fed groups versus Controls, while whole bone biomechanical characteristics were not different among groups. These results demonstrate that “westernized” HF diets worsen cancellous, but not cortical, bone parameters in skeletally-immature male rats and that fructose incorporation into HF diets does not exacerbate bone loss. In addition, they suggest that leptin and/or oxidative stress may influence DIO-induced alterations in adolescent bone development.