The impact of high fat diets on physiological changes in euthyroid and thyroid altered rats

Abstract

The association of adverse health with high fat intake has long been recognized. However, the lack of research focusing on the interrelationship of thyroid and liver function, and the pathogenesis of a high fat diet leaves these topics poorly understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the physiological changes in euthyroid and thyroid altered animal model fed saturated and unsaturated high fat diets. To achieve this objective adult male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 100) were fed one of five diets; a control or one of four test diets containing 25% saturated or unsaturated, and 37% saturated or unsaturated fats for a period of eight weeks. Each experimental group consisted of ten euthyroid and ten thyroid altered animals. An altered thyroid state was chemically induced with the addition of 0.05% propylthiouracil (PTU) in the drinking water. Euthyroid animals fed high fat diets increased in body weights and body lengths, compared to thyroid altered animals (P < 0.05). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and asparte aminotransferase (AST) levels increased across all experimental groups. HbA1C values and urinary glucose values were within normal range for all animals. Liver morphology showed increased hepatic stellate (ito) and vacuole cells in thyroid altered animals. These findings suggest that altered thyroid status negatively impacts growth and weight gain, and simultaneously affected lipid metabolism, resulting in abnormal liver morphology. © 2013 Welch-White et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.