AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 245, Issue 1 8-13, Copyright © 1983 by American Physiological Society
Fatty acid synthesis in adipose tissues of physically trained rats in vivo
K. Tokuyama and H. Okuda
The effect of physical training on fatty acid synthesis in vivo was
studied. After the rats had free access to a running wheel for 50 days, the
rate of fatty acid synthesis estimated using 3H2O in adipose tissues of
trained rats was about three times higher than that of sedentary rats in
both the light and dark period. The rate of fatty acid synthesis in the
liver but not in the brown adipose tissue was also slightly enhanced by
physical training. The number of adipocytes was not affected, but the size
of adipocytes was reduced by physical training. In trained rats, the rate
of fatty acid synthesis in adipocytes whose diameter was similar to that of
sedentary rats was about 10 times higher than that of sedentary rats.
Within adipose tissue, the rate of fatty acid synthesis correlated
positively to the diameter of adipocytes both in the sedentary and trained
rats. These findings mean that the adaptive increase in fatty acid
synthesis seen in adipocytes of trained rats is not secondary to the
reduction in size of adipocytes.
