title: High-fat diet protects BB/OK rats from developing type 1 diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is well known that lipid metabolism plays an important role in the early stages of type 1 diabetes (T1D). For that reason, we examined factors that influence lipid metabolism of BioBreeding/Ottawa Kalsburg (BB/OK) rats that spontaneously develop an insulin-dependent T1D.
  
  
  METHODS
  BB/OK female rats were fed a high-fat diet during pregnancy (Ssniff R-Z + 10% tallow) and their progeny were also given this diet up to an age of 30 weeks (n = 55) or 4 weeks (n = 14) to study gene expression of Pparg, Fasn, Lep, Adipoq, Repin1, Rarres 2, and Glut4 in adipose tissue. Forty-two BB/OK rats fed the normal diet (Ssniff R-Z) during pregnancy and the observation period served as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The high-fat diet significantly decreased diabetes frequency in BB/OK rats when compared with control rats (71 versus 95%, p = 0.002). Although this difference was also reflected in the male rats (68 versus 100%, p = 0.003), no significant variation was observed in female rats (73 versus 90%, p = 0.23). The high-fat diet resulted in significantly reduced mRNA expression of examined genes in subcutaneous adipose tissue, but not in visceral adipose tissue, except for Fasn and Repin1 expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high-fat diet seems to protect BB/OK rats from T1D in a sex-specific manner. The data suggest that a high-fat diet might influence fat accumulation and/or fat metabolism and prevent T1D development in male rats, which is supported by changes in adipose tissue gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Animal Science, Medical Faculty, University of Greifswald, Karlsburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bahr
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klöting
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wilke
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Klöting
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Follak
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB; D012737:Sex Factors; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C522919:Repin1 protein, rat; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases