Sexually Dimorphic Response of Increasing Dietary Intake of High Amylose Wheat on Metabolic and Reproductive Outcomes in Male and Female Mice

Abstract

High amylose wheat (HAW) has a higher resistant starch content and lower glycaemic index than standard amylose wheat (SAW), which may be associated with health benefits. This study aimed to determine the effects of replacing SAW with HAW on metabolic and reproductive parameters in male and female mice. Male and female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into groups (n = 8/group/sex) and fed either a SAW65 (65% SAW w/w; control), HAW35 (35% HAW w/w), HAW50 (50% HAW w/w) or HAW65 (65% HAW w/w) diet for eight weeks. In male but not female, the HAW65 group had a lower abdominal circumference, relative total fat mass, relative gonadal fat mass and plasma leptin concentration compared to the HAW35 group. There were no differences in fasting blood glucose concentrations or plasma concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides or non-esterified fatty acids between groups in either males or females. The HAW-fed males had a higher testicular weight and HAW-fed females spent less time in diestrus and a longer time in metestrus compared to the SAW-fed mice. Higher dietary intake of HAW appears to reduce abdominal fat deposition compared to the lower level of HAW in a sexually dimorphic manner. The impacts on reproductive parameters in the HAW-fed mice require further investigation.