Abstract
Diets to decrease body weight have limited success in achieving and importantly maintaining
this weight loss long-term. It has recently been suggested that energy intake can
be regulated by the amount of protein ingested, termed the protein leverage hypothesis.
In this study, we determined whether a high protein diet would be effective in achieving
and maintaining weight loss in a genetically obese model, the New Zealand Obese (NZO)
mouse. NZO and C57BL/6J (C57) control mice were fed a high protein or chow diet for
5 weeks from weaning (3 weeks of age). Body weight and food intake were determined.
Mice on the same diet were bred to produce offspring that were fed either a chow or
high protein diet. Body weight, food intake, and glucose tolerance were determined.
Feeding NZO and C57 mice a high protein diet for 5 weeks resulted in reduced food
intake and consequently energy intake and body weight gain compared with mice on a
chow diet. NZO mice fed a high protein diet showed a significant improvement in glucose
tolerance compared with their chow-fed counterparts, while no difference was seen
in C57 mice fed chow or protein diet. The offspring of NZO mice that were fed a high
protein diet during gestation and weaning were also lighter and displayed improved
glucose tolerance compared with chow fed animals. We conclude that a high protein
diet is a reasonable strategy to reduce body weight gain and improve glucose tolerance
in the NZO mouse, a polygenic model of obesity.
Key words
New Zealand Obese mouse - high protein diet - weight gain - glucose tolerance
