Effect of ambient temperature on respiratory quotient of lean and obese Zucker rats
Refinetti, R.
American Journal of Physiology 256(1 Pt 2): R236-R239
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9513 PMID: 2492161 Document Number: 339879
O2 consumption and CO2 production were measured in lean and obese Zucker rats under these conditions: thermal neutrality (acclimation and test at 25.degree. C), acute cold (acclimation to 25.degree. C and test at 15.degree. C), and chronic cold (acclimation and test at 15.degree. C). The respiratory quotient (RQ) of ad libitum-fed animals was 0.92 at neutrality, 0.87 at acute cold, and 0.77 at chronic cold. Lean and obese animals had comparable RQs under the three conditions. These results confirm previous investigations on the effect of ambient temperature on gaseous exchange in rats but fail to demonstrate a difference in substrate utilization in the metabolism of lean and obese Zucker rats.