The purpose of the present study was to examine the short-term effect of high-fat or high-fat-high-
fructose feeding on hepatic lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function in adult sedentary rats. Adult male rats were fed a high-fat or high-fat-high-
fructose diet for 2 weeks. Body and liver composition, hepatic steatosis, plasma
lipid profile and hepatic
insulin sensitivity, together with whole-body and hepatic de novo lipogenesis, were assessed. Hepatic mitochondrial mass, functionality, oxidative stress and
antioxidant defense were also measured. Rats fed the high-fat-high-
fructose diet exhibited significantly higher plasma
triglycerides, non-
esterified fatty acids,
insulin and indexes of hepatic
insulin resistance compared with rats fed a low-fat or a high-fat diet. Hepatic
triglycerides and
ceramide, as well as the degree of steatosis and
necrosis, were significantly higher, while liver p-Akt was significantly lower, in rats fed high-fat-high-
fructose diet than in rats fed high-fat diet. A significant increase in non-
protein respiratory quotient and hepatic
fatty acid synthase and
stearoyl CoA desaturase activity was found in rats fed the high-fat-high-
fructose diet compared with those fed the high-fat diet. Significantly lower mitochondrial oxidative capacity but significantly higher oxidative stress was found in rats fed high-fat and high-fat-high-
fructose diets compared with rats fed
low-fat diet, while mitochondrial mass significantly increased only in rats fed high-fat-high-
fructose diet. In conclusion, short-term consumption of a Western diet, rich in saturated
fats and
fructose, is more conducive to the development of
liver steatosis and deleterious to
glucose homeostasis than a high-fat diet.