Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Shift workers and rodents with clock gene mutations show increased risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Conversely, obesity and T2DM are related to circadian disturbances in humans and rodents. The circadian release of adipokines from white adipose tissue (WAT) plays a pivotal role in energy metabolism. Its regulatory mechanism is unclear at present.Aim: To determine the daily expression patterns of genes involved in circadi...

Background: Recently, we showed that rats on a free-choice high-fat high-sugar (fcHFHS) diet became rapidly obese and developed glucose intolerance within a week. Interestingly, rats on a free-choice high-fat diet (fcHF), although equally obese and hyperphagic as rats on a fcHFHS diet, did not develop glucose intolerance. Glucose tolerance was also unaffected in rats on a free-choice high-sugar diet, although they consumed more liquid sugar than rats on a fcHFHS diet. Hence, t...

Background: Rats on a free-choice (fc) diet of saturated fat and liquid sugar in addition to chow (fcHFHS) overeat persistently, and show increased hypothalamic neuropeptide Y and decreased melanocortin signaling, which reflects a hunger state despite hyperphagia. This response is specific for a fcHFHS diet, because when given the choice between fat and chow (fcHF) or between liquid sugar and chow (fcHS) hyperphagia is not observed. Because leptin signaling is important for th...