People who consume a high-fat simple carbohydrate diet (HFSC) might be at risk of developing structural abnormalities in their vital organs, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism. The study, a collaboration between St. Aloysius College and the Central Food Technological Research Institute in India, evaluated how a realistic model of an HFSC affects target organs, as well as its nutritional properties.

• Researchers posited that multiple diet-based studies evaluating metabolic syndrome did not have adequate information on the nutrient profile of the feeds that were given after it was prepared.
• In the study, they looked at the profile of a formulated HFSC, as well as how it affects target organs identified by the researchers.
• Both HFSC and control feeds were first analyzed by the researchers to understand macro- and micronutrient profiles for each. During the five-month study, researchers fed mice with either a control feed or an HFSC feed while monitoring their feed intake, energy intake, and feed efficiency.
• Using a process called histological staining, the team primarily focused on how the two feeds affected the mice’s kidneys, adrenal gland, and pancreas.
• The findings revealed that mice that were given an HFSC feed had a higher omega-6–omega-3 ratio than the control group. The mice also had a lower carbohydrate, moisture, crude fiber, ash content, mineral, and vitamin content than those in control.
• In addition, the mice that were fed with an HFSC feed were observed to have lymphocyte infiltration in the liver, hypertrophy of the kidney and adrenal medulla, and degenerated islets of the pancreas.

Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that food items with a high omega-6–omega-3 ratio and those that have simple carbohydrates could adversely affect the structural integrity of vital organs.

Find the full text of the study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Dsouza SS, Bindu BSC, Ali MM, Tisha A, Deepthi K, Siona S, Santy F, Abraham A. NUTRITIONAL PROFILE OF HIGH FAT SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATE DIET USED TO INDUCE METABOLIC SYNDROME IN C57BL/6J MICE. Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism. March 2016;3:41–49. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnim.2015.12.334