Abstract: SA-PO0887
Determining Effects of Dietary Fat and Sugar Beverages on Kidney Function in Rats
Session Information
- Health Maintenance, Nutrition, and Metabolism
October 24, 2026 | Location: Exhibit Hall A, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Health Maintenance, Nutrition, and Metabolism
- 1500 Health Maintenance, Nutrition, and Metabolism
Authors
- Warsing, Carleigh J., Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States
- Fischer, Stephen, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States
- Gigliotti, Joseph C., Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States
Background
There has been a decades long debate about the contribution of fats and simple carbohydrates to declining cardiovascular health. To our knowledge, little attention has been given to better understand how these nutrient classes influence renal function. Therefore, we set out to determine how dietary fats and sugar content influence renal function and the renal mRNA expression of renin and angiotensinogen.
Methods
All animal studies were performed according to animal protocols approved by the Liberty University IACUC. Weanling, male Wistar Kyoto rats were purchased and randomly assigned to chow or a commercially available high-fat diet (60% kcal, HFD). After 4-weeks, a cohort of animals were euthanized and additional animals continued to receive deionized water or 5% (w/v) sucrose solution (SUCR) ad libitum for an additional 4-weeks. The kidneys were collected and body, beverage, and food weights were recorded. Kidney tissues were processed to determine the mRNA expression of Ren and Agt by RT-PCR. Data were analyzed using General Linear Model Procedures in SPSS and Tukey's post hoc multiple comparison procedures with significance determined at P<0.05.
Results
Rats consuming the HFD had 25% heavier body weights (P<0.001), 30% reduction in daily water intake (P<0.001), and 40% reduction in daily urinary output (P<0.001). No difference was observed in renal mRNA expression of Agt (P=0.25) or Ren (P=0.46). After an additional 4-weeks, changes in body weight, water intake, and urinary output were consistent in rats provided water. SUCR intake in rats fed chow was almost double (P<0.001) that in rats fed HFD. SUCR significantly reduced the calories consumed through diet and caused a noticeable 20% weight loss in rats fed HFD (P=0.03). Rats fed the HFD tended (P=0.055) to have a 25% reduction in renal Ren mRNA expression, and no difference was observed in Agt or Ren due to SUCR (P>0.5). There was a significant diet*SUCR interaction, where rats fed chow had a 40% reduction (P=0.03) in renal Agt expression and rats fed HFD had a 40% increase (P=0.005).
Conclusion
Our data highlight that simple dietary changes often result in complex changes to behavior, metabolism, and water balance that can significantly alter renal outcomes. Our data suggest that added sugars alter the mRNA expression of key components of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system, but do so in manner that dependent on the diet as a whole.