Effect of Vitamin C on the Obesity Indices of High Fat Fed Diet Rats

Vitamin C is abundant and easily eaten. According to some reports, its level is lower in obese individuals. Thus in order to investigate the effect of different levels of vitamin C on food and energy intake and anthropometric indices, obese rats on high-fat diets, were treated by ascending amounts of vitamin C in drinking water. Subjects and Forty male Sprague Dawley rats (160 ± 10 g) were used. Animals were divided into five groups; control, high fat (HF), high fat+250mg/L vitamin C (HF250), high fat+500mg/L vitamin C (HF500) and high fat+1000 mg/L vitamin C (HF1000). Control group was fed by the standard pellets and high-fat groups were fed by diets containing 31% fat. Vitamin C was added to the drinking water of treated groups and the amount of water and food consumption, weight gain and obesity-related indices were compared during the 8-week between the studying groups. A high-fat fed diet increased energy intake, weight gain, fat storage (P<0.05), plasma total cholesterol and LDL-c (P<0.01). Although high level of vitamin C increased food and energy intake (P<0.01), medium and high doses caused partial control of weight gain and fat storage. Addition of 500 and 1000 mg/dl vitamin C in drinking water decreased weight gain and fat storage in the high-fat fed animal, which may suggest its usefulness for inhibition of obesity related disorders.