Enriching the Starter Diet in n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Reduces Adipocyte Size in Broiler Chicks.

Epidemiologic studies associate perinatal intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) with reduced adiposity in children, suggesting that these fatty acids may alter adipose tissue development. The objective of this study was to determine whether enriching the perinatal diet in EPA and DHA reduces fat deposition in young chicks. Cobb 500 broiler chicks were fed isocaloric diets containing fat (8% wt:wt) from fish oil (FO), lard, canola oil, or flaxseed oil from 7 to 30 d of age.

Fasting rapidly increases fatty acid oxidation in white adipose tissue of young broiler chickens.

Upregulating the fatty acid oxidation capacity of white adipose tissue in mice protects against diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. Part of this capacity results from induction of brown-like adipocytes within classical white depots, making it difficult to determine the oxidative contribution of the more abundant white adipocytes. Avian genomes lack a gene for uncoupling protein 1 and are devoid of brown adipose cells, making them a useful model in which to study white adipocyte metabolism in vivo.