Effect of feeding sucrose or starch diets on parameters of glucose tolerance in the LA/N-corpulent rat

A study was conducted to determine the long-term effects of consuming diets containing sucrose or starch, as the source of dietary carbohydrate, on characteristics of glucose tolerance in a new strain of genetically obese rat, LA/N-corpulent ( cp ). Body weight and glycemic indices were measured in male corpulent ( cp / cp ) and lean ( cp / + or + / + ) littermates fed 54% carbohydrate diets for 1 and 10.5 months. A phenotype effect (corpulent>lean) and a diet effect (sucrose>starch) was observed with body weight, fasting level of serum insulin, and levels of serum insulin and glucose following an oral glucose load. A reduction with age in levels of serum insulin was observed in corpulent rats and in lean rats fed starch. Both corpulent and lean littermates were normoglycemic in the fasting and response states at 10.5 months.