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Dietary resistant starch significantly increased food intake in aged mice in response to an energy deficit
Author(s) -
Zhou Jun,
Keenan Michael J,
BruceKeller Annadora,
Keller Jeffery,
FernandezKim Sun Ok,
Pistell Paul,
Tulley Richard T,
Raggio Anne M,
Shen Li,
Zhang Hanjie,
Martin Roy J
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.545.3
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , appetite , obesity , food intake , homeostasis , biology , zoology
Aging is associated with poor energy sensing and decline in appetite. Both elderly humans and aged rodents fail to increase compensatory food intake after fasting. This failure of response to acute energy deficits means impaired regulation of energy homeostasis. Resistant starch (RS) is a fermentable fiber. Dietary RS improves the control of energy homeostasis in young animals. Here, we tested similar effects in aged mice. Two year old male C57BL/6J mice were fed an 18% or a 36% resistant starch diet for 8 weeks and fasted for 12‐13 hours before being fed their regular assigned treatment diets. Compensatory food intake was measured at 1, 2, and 4 hours after the re‐feeding. RS fed mice had significantly higher food intake than controls at 1 hour for the 18% RS, at 2 hours for the 36% RS (P<0.01), and at 4 hours for both RS groups (P<0.05). The study was ended at week 9. Both RS groups had similar body weight, body fat, liver weight, and spleen weight as the controls. Ex vivo splenic responses to mitogens were also similar between control and RS groups. However, RS fed mice had increased cecal content and empty cecal weight which are indicators of fermentation. Thus, aged mice respond to increased doses of RS with increased fermentation. Conclusion without any observed adverse effects, dietary RS promotes fermentation and increases food intake in response to an energy deficit in aged mice.