HYPERTENSION AND SYMPATHETIC HYPERACTIVITY INDUCED IN RATS BY HIGH-FAT OR GLUCOSE DIETS

Male Sprague-Dawley rats fed either a high-fat diet or a glucose-enriched diet developed higher blood pressure (BP) than rats fed a control diet. After 8 wk of diet treatment systolic BP was 11% higher (P < 0.01) in fat-fed rats and 7% higher (P < 0.05) in glucose-fed rats when compared with rats fed the control diet. Rats fed the high-fat diet developed hypertension only when they were allowed to overeat and become obese and hyperinsulinemic. But when their feeding was restricted to prevent obesity and hyperinsulinemia, they remained normotensive. In contrast, elevated BP developed in rats comsuming the glucose diet in the absence of obesity or hyprinsulinemia. After 7 wk of diet treatment, urinary norepinephrine excretion was 1.9 +/- 0.1, 1.9 +/- 0.1, and 1.5 +/- 0.1-mu-g/day in rats fed the high-fat, glucose, and control diets, respectively (P < 0.05 vs. control). Higher norepinephrine excretion in hypertensive rats suggests that increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity might participate in mediating the effects of dietary fat or glucose on BP. In addition, insulin may contribute to raising BP in rats fed the high-fat diet, either directly or indirectly through its stimulatory effect on the SNS. We conclude that chronic feeding of diets in fat or glucose increases BP and enhances SNS activity in rats.