title: Food restriction alters villi morphology in obese rats: gut mechanism for weight regain?
abstract: Weight regain after a long-term weight-loss program is a greater problem in obesity treatment than is weight reduction. Hence, the gut may elevate the absorption rate and nutrient transportation remarkably during chronic food restriction. The extension of gut absorption may be one possible reason for weight regain. But there is little information about the mechanisms that regulate intestinal absorption during food restriction. In this study, we show that the surface absorptive areas of gut villi may be enlarged in the jejunum of rats maintained on a food restriction regimen compared with animals submitted to swimming or sedentary behavior. Our findings show that simply reducing the amount of food intake results in an increased appetite accompanied with obvious weight regain, and suggest that the resulting enlargement of villi surface areas plays a key role in the regain of weight reduction. These results bolster accumulating evidence that gut absorption may be a substantial mechanism for resistance of weight loss and enhancing the weight regain process.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sports Medicine, Third Hospital of Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Jian Gang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao Wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Wen Qian
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hai Tao
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001066:Appetite; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D004032:Diet; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D005508:Food Deprivation; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000502:physiology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000502:physiology*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015430:Weight Gain; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs