The effect of exercise on metabolic and cardiovascular parameters changes in sprague-dawley rats receiving a short-term high fat-high sucrose diet

• Main Author: Shogor, Hager Omar
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10539/21183

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine. Johannesburg, 2015 === Dyslipidaemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol (TChol) concentrations are lower in physically active participants and are improved by exercise training. Whether the effect of exercise on diet-induced dyslipidaemia occurs independent of other metabolic syndrome parameters is nevertheless uncertain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of exercise training on dyslipidaemia, induced by a high-fat-high-sucrose (HFHS) diet independent of other metabolic syndrome features. 48 three-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats, selected for their ability to run in running wheels, were fed a HFHS diet or a standard chow diet (SC) for 9 weeks. Rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups: sedentary HFHS diet group (n=9); HFHS with exercise group (n=9); sedentary SC diet (n=9); and SC with exercise group (n=9). Both of the exercise groups were allowed to exercise voluntarily during the diet intervention. Fasting blood glucose (BG), insulin, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood triglyceride (TG) concentrations, body weight, daily food consumption, visceral adipose tissue weight, hepatic glycogen and lipid contents, liver weight, blood pressure, heart function and dimensions and vascular reactivity were measured. After 9 weeks, body weights were significantly lower in both HFHS diet groups compared to SC diet groups (p<0.0001) despite a greater food intake in HFHS diet groups (p<0.0001). BG concentrations, insulin concentration, HbA1c, normalized visceral fat tissue, hepatic lipid contents, normalized liver weights, heart function and dimensions, and vascular reactivity were not different between the groups. Fasting TG and total cholesterol concentrations were significantly greater with a HFHS diet compared to SC groups (p<0.0001 and p=0.029, respectively). HDL concentration was significantly lower with a HFHS diet compared to SC groups (p<0.0001) Furthermore, liver glycogen contents were significantly greater with HFHS diet groups compared to SC diet groups (p<0.0001). Exercise did not change the blood lipid concentrations and the liver glycogen contents. Systolic blood pressure, but not diastolic blood pressure, was significantly higher with a HFHS diet groups compared to SC diet groups (p=0.021 and p=0.0573, respectively). Exercise did not change the HFHS-induced increase in SBP. In conclusion, exercise does not ameliorate HFHS diet-induced dyslipidaemia and elevated blood pressure in adult non-obese Sprague-Dawley rats without other metabolic syndrome parameter changes. === MT2016