Effects of high-fat diet intake on glucose uptake in central and peripheral tissues of non-obese rats

Abstract

We previously demonstrated that plasma glucose concentration was higher while plasma insulin concentration was lower in rats fed a high-fat diet. In the present study, we examined the effects of high-fat diet on glucose uptake in central and peripheral tissues in non-obese rats. Forty male Sprague- Dawley rats were fed high- or low-fat diets for 4 wk. Body weight and body fat accumulation were not different between the two diet groups after 4wk. Glucose uptake in the skeletal muscles and adipose tissues, estimated by the 2-deoxy-D-glucose method, was lower in the rats fed the high-fat diet than that in the rats fed the low-fat diet, whereas uptake in the liver and pancreas did not differ between the two groups. Glucose uptake in the hypothalamus and cortex was higher in the high-fat diet group as compared with that in the low-fat diet group. These results suggest that increased plasma glucose levels in rats fed the high-fat diet were caused by a decrease in glucose uptake in the skeletal muscles and adipose tissues. Reduced plasma insulin level in the high fat diet group with no difference in glucose uptake in the pancreas may be due to increased sympathetic activity in the pancreas resulting from the increased glucose uptake in the brain regions involved in autonomic functions.