The present study was designed to investigate (a) whether dietary fat
manipulation, quantitatively and/or qualitatively, may influence the t
ransport of fatty acids into the brain and oxidation of fatty acids in
the hypothalamus; and (b) if an inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation cha
nged food intake on these diets. Rats were fed for 4 wk 5% or 34% corn
oil or tallow diets that were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. It was f
ound that rats fed corn oil diets had significantly higher brain uptak
e index of palmitate than did rats fed tallow diets. In a second exper
iment, rats were fed either 30% corn oil or tallow diets and injected
with either saline or mercaptoacetate (MA). Both saturated fat diets a
nd mercaptoacetate injection reduced lateral hypothalamic, but not ven
tromedial hypothalamic fatty acid oxidation. Mercaptoacetate increased
food intake only in the corn oil fed rats. It is proposed that these
uptake and metabolic changes contribute to alterations in either energ
y expenditure or feeding behavior.