Testosterone deficiency caused by castration increases adiposity in male rats in a tissue-specific and diet-dependent manner

Table 1 Food intake, food efficiency, and tissue weight of sham-operated (control) and castrated male rats fed either normal diet or high fat diet for 9 weeks

Items	Normal diet		High-fat diet		P
	Control	Castration	Control	Castration	Castration	Diet	Interaction
Average food intake¹, g/d	20.0 ± 0.3^b	19.2 ± 0.3^c	21.4 ± 0.4^a	19.3 ± 0.4^c	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001
Initial body weight, g	254.0 ± 7.9	242.4 ± 8.7	257.3 ± 10.2	247.5 ± 8.1	NS	NS	NS
Final body weight at 9 weeks, g	507.2 ± 18.4^a	440.9 ± 17.1^b	507.0 ± 15.2^a	434.4 ± 12.3^b	< 0.001	NS	0.0019
Average food efficiency², gain(g)/intake(g)	1.6 ± 0.08^a	1.3 ± 0.07^b	1.7 ± 0.1^a	1.4 ± 0.09^b	< 0.001	NS	0.0033
Abdominal fat, g	7.3 ± 0.6^c	10.4 ± 0.7^b	10.3 ± 0.5^b	12.59 ± 0.6^a	< 0.001	< 0.001	NS
Subcutaneous fat, g	18.0 ± 1.0^b	27.2 ± 2.1^a	21.5 ± 1.5^b	31.2 ± 1.8^a	< 0.001	0.04	NS
Total fat³, g	25.3 ± 1.4^c	37.6 ± 2.5^b	31.8 ± 1.6^b	43.8 ± 2.3^a	< 0.001	0.005	NS
Liver, g	16.2 ± 1.2^a	14.5 ± 1.5^ab	15.9 ± 1.1^a	11.7 ± 0.6^b	0.02	NS	NS
Longissimus dorsi muscle, g	10.2 ± 0.4^a	7.9 ± 0.4^c	9.1 ± 0.3^b	7.2 ± 0.3^c	< 0.001	0.01	NS
Gastrocnemius, g	5.5 ± 0.2^a	5.0 ± 0.1^b	5.0 ± 0.1^b	4.6 ± 0.1^b	< 0.001	0.001	NS
Soleus, g	0.4 ± 0.04	0.4 ± 0.06	0.5 ± 0.06	0.5 ± 0.07	NS	NS	NS

Mean ± SE (n = 7–8)
NS not significant
¹Average food intake (g/day): average food intake for whole experimental period (9 weeks)
²Average food efficiency = average weight gain/food intake (g/day) for 9 weeks
³Total fat = subcutaneous + abdominal fat
^a–dMeans in row with different superscripts differ (P < 0.05)

ISSN: 1865-3499