Monosaccharide-enriched diets cause hyperleptinemia without hypophagia

To determine the effect of monosaccharide-enriched diets on plasma leptin and food consumption, body weight, food intake, and serum glucose, insulin, and leptin concentrations were measured in rats maintained on a 10-d course of 60% glucose or 60% fructose diet. The serum leptin concentration in rats fed a high-glucose diet (7.60 ± 0.6 ng/mL) or a high-fructose diet (5.12 ± 0.8 ng/mL) was significantly increased compared with that in control rats (2.45 ± 0.10 ng/mL; P < 0.001). To ascertain that the observed effect was related to hyperinsulinemia, a group of rats were infused with exogenous insulin or rendered insulin resistent with a high-fat diet. When hyperinsulinemia was induced with exogenous infusion, the serum leptin was increased (5.56 ± 0.23 ng/mL; P < 0.001). High-fat feeding was associated with increased serum leptin (12.1 ± 1.4 ng/mL) and insulin levels. The increased serum leptin concentration was not associated with decreased food intake. We conclude that monosaccharide-enriched diets, probably through hyperinsulinemia or relative or absolute insulin resistance, cause hyperleptinemia, which does not appear to change feeding behavior.