Abstract
To investigate the influence of dietary fat content during the growth period on food choice of adult rats, three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats (3 weeks of age) were fed either a standard diet (SD group), a low-fat diet (LFD group) or a high-fat diet (HFD group). After 9 weeks, 6 rats in each group were sacrificed and the remaining rats were placed on a self-selection regimen of LFD and HFD for 3 weeks. No significant difference in body weight was observed among these three groups during the experimental period. However, perirenal and epididymal fat tissue weights in the HFD group were highest and those in the SD group were lowest. The amount of LFD intake/total intake in the LFD group was 38-49%, that in the HFD group about 20%, and that in the SD group increased from 16 to 47% during the self-selection period. Therefore, dietary fat content during the growth period affects preferential fat intake in adult rats.
