Iron deficiency does not cause obesity in adult rats
Abstract
Diminished iron status has been observed in obese children and adults. Prior work in our laboratory demonstrated increased fat accretion in young, growing rats fed iron‐deficient diets. The objective of this longitudinal study was to determine whether feeding iron‐deficient diets would result in increased fat accretion or obesity in adult rats. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats (initial age = 12‐wks, n = 9 per group) were fed diets containing 5, 10, 20, or 40 ppm iron for a period of 32‐wks. Diet had an effect (p 0.05) on lean body‐ or fat mass at wks 0, 16, or 32. Similarly, body weight was not affected (p > 0.05) by dietary iron. Final body weights were (mean ± SD) 575 ± 45, 533 ± 49, 549 ± 35 and 566 ± 35 gm, for rats fed diets containing 5, 10, 20, and 40 ppm iron, respectively. These data suggest that iron deficiency does not cause increased fat accretion or obesity in adult animals. As such, it is likely that factors other than dietary iron contribute to the mechanism explaining the relationship between iron deficiency and obesity observed in human populations. Research supported by MRMC.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2010
- Source ID
- 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.717.6
Entities
People
- Andrew J Young
- Bryan C. Wiley
- James P. Mcclung
- Louis J. Marchitelli
- Nancy E. Andersen
- Stephen R Hennigar
Organizations
- United States Army Medical Research and Development Command
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine