title: Effect of repeated fasting/refeeding on obesity development and health complications in rats arising from reduced nest.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overnutrition during postnatal life represents a risk factor for later obesity and associated metabolic disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the interaction between postnatal and later-life nutrition on body composition, blood pressure and the jejunal enzyme activities in male Sprague-Dawley rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  From birth, we adjusted the number of pups in the nest to 4 (small litters-SL; overfeeding) or to 10 pups (normal litters-NL; controls), and from day 50 until 70, the SL (SL-R) and NL (NL-R) rats were subjected to 1 day fasting and 1 day refeeding cycles (RFR). Their body composition was determined by magnetic resonance imaging, and enzyme activity was assayed histochemically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 50 and 70 days, SL rats were found to be overweight (p < 0.001), with higher adiposity (p < 0.001) and blood pressure (p < 0.01). Moreover, despite significantly decreased daily food intake during RFR (SL-R 39 %, NL-R 23 %), higher fat deposition (p < 0.001) and blood pressure (p < 0.05) was detected in SL-R rats. Activity of alkaline phosphatase (AP) functionally involved in lipid absorption was significantly higher in SL than NL rats (p < 0.001) but substantially decreased in RFR groups (SL-R p < 0.001, NL-R p < 0.01). However, despite these enzymatic adaptations to reduced food intake, the SL-R rats displayed significantly higher AP activity in comparison with NL-R rats (p < 0.01) on day 70.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate that postnatal overfeeding predisposes the ontogeny of intestinal function, which may promote the probability of obesity risk. Accordingly, in these animals, efficient fat deposition and elevated blood pressure were not diminished in response to dietary restrictions in later life.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Šoltésovej 4-6, 040 01, Kosice, Slovak Republic, mozes@saske.sk.
authors.forename: Štefan
authors.initials: Š
authors.lastname: Mozeš
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Šefčíková
authors.forename: Ľubomír
authors.initials: Ľ
authors.lastname: Raček
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000367:Age Factors; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005215:Fasting; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D007583:Jejunum / Q000201:enzymology; D008098:Litter Size; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; C415670:Alpi protein, rat; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase