Overfeeding-induced obesity in spontaneously hypertensive rats: an animal model of the human metabolic syndrome.

Background/aims: The metabolic syndrome (MS) has become an epidemiological problem in Western countries. We developed a diet-induced obese rat model that mimics all the symptoms of MS in humans, but whose insulin resistance, hyperphagia and hyperleptinemia are caused by nutrition rather than genetic modifications.

Methods: Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were allowed for 12 weeks to choose between a cafeteria diet (CD, 20.