The effect of dietary α-lipoic acid, betaine, l-carnitine, and swimming on the obesity of mice induced by a high-fat diet

Food Funct. 2014 Aug;5(8):1966-74. doi: 10.1039/c4fo00246f.

Abstract

We evaluate the effect of supplementation, at 300 mg kg(-1) body weight (BW), with the antioxidants α-lipoic acid (AL), betaine (BT), l-carnitine (LC), and the combination of these and exercise on obesity induced by a 9 week high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. Healthy 5 week-old male C57BL/6J mice were divided into 9 groups: (1) CON, control group fed with a commercial mice chow containing 10% crude fat; (2) HFD, high fat diet group fed with a commercial mice chow containing 60% crude fat; (3) HFD-AL, HFD group fed with AL; (4) HFD-BT, HFD group fed with BT; (5) HFD-LC, HFD group fed with LC; (6) HFD-SW, HFD with swimming as an exercise; (7) HFD-SWAL, HFD-AL with swimming; (8) HFD-SWBT, HFD-BT with swimming, and (9) HFD-SWLC, HFD-LC with swimming. The BW of mice with LC and swimming reduced the increase of BW after 9 weeks. Relative adipose tissue weights were reduced by the combinations of antioxidant supplementation and swimming. Levels of serum glucose and leptin were reduced in the HFD-SWLC group when compared with the HFD group. Serum triglyceride and total cholesterol and the size of adipose were also decreased in the HFD-LC and HFD-SWLC groups. These results show that LC at a dose of 300 mg kg(-1) BW was the most effective for reducing fat accumulation in mice with HFD for 9 weeks. In addition, exercise should be given in combination to enhance the BW reduction and serum lipid level.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipocytes / drug effects
  • Adipocytes / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / pharmacology
  • Betaine / pharmacology*
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • Body Weight / drug effects
  • Carnitine / pharmacology*
  • Cholesterol / blood
  • Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Insulin / blood
  • Leptin / blood
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Obesity / metabolism*
  • Organ Size / drug effects
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal
  • Swimming
  • Thioctic Acid / pharmacology*
  • Triglycerides / blood

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Blood Glucose
  • Insulin
  • Leptin
  • Triglycerides
  • Betaine
  • Thioctic Acid
  • Cholesterol
  • Carnitine