Abstract
We have previously reported that the feeding of a beef tallow diet gives lower lipoprotein lipase activities in the interscapuler brown adipose tissue, heart and soleus muscle compared with feeding of a safflower oil diet. We have also suggested that sympathetic activities (norepinephrine turnover rates and β-adrenergic receptor bindings) in these peripheral tissues were lower in the beef tallow diet group. To confirm the effects of dietary fats on the lipoprotein lipase activities in these tissues related to sympathetic activities, rats were chemically sym-pathectomized by treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine. The sym-pathectomized rats and control rats were meal-fed with a beef tallow diet or a safflower oil diet for 8 weeks. Sympathectomy abolished the differ-ences in lipoprotein lipase activities in the interscapuler brown adipose tissue, heart and soleus muscle between two dietary groups. The percent-age of body fat was increased by sympathectomy, resulting in no differ-ence between the beef tallow diet group and the safflower oil diet group. These results suggest that intake of the beef tallow diet decreased lipopro-tein lipase activities by reducing the sympathetic activities.
