Effect of High Fat Diet on Serum Leptin Level in Rats

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of high fat diet with different percent calories as fat on serum leptin level in rats. Male Wistar rats, 4 weeks old, were assigned to regular chow (12% calories as fat), a 40% high fat diet or a 60% high fat diet group. They ate each diet ad libitum for 5 weeks. Food intake per day was the highest in chow fed group and the lowest in 60% high fat fed group. Although epididymal fat pad weight, plasma triglycende, free fatty acid and total cholesterol in both high fat diet groups were significantly higher than in the chow fed group, there was no difference in body weight among the three diet groups. Serum leptin in the 40% fat and the 60% fat diet were higher than in the chow fed group ( ～136% and ～140%, respectively). Serum leptin was strongly correlated with epididymal adipose tissue weight (r=0.83, P