Short- and Long-Term Effects of Undernutrition During Adolescence on Oxidative Status and Glucose Homeostasis in Male and Female Rats

Malnutrition during adolescence can cause metabolic diseases later in life. This study examined the short- and long-term effects of undernutrition during adolescence on body composition, glucose homeostasis and redox balance. Male (<i>n</i> = 32) and female (<i>n</i> = 32) Wistar rats were fed a rodent chow reduced by 50% (FR50) of the amount consumed by control rats (CONT) from 30 to 60 days and then fed ad libitum until 120 days of age. Half of the rats were euthanized at 60 and the other half at 120 days old. At 60 and 120 days old, glucose and insulin tolerance test; skeletal muscle, visceral fat, liver and interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) weights; and oxidative stress marker levels in the liver and iBAT were evaluated. The FR50 male (FR50-M) and female (FR50-F) rats exhibited a lean phenotype and high insulin sensitivity at 60 days of age (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but at 120 days of age, they exhibited an obese phenotype with high insulin sensitivity (<i>p</i> < 0.05). An increase in liver GSH was observed as only a short-term effect (<i>p</i> < 0.05). At 120 days of age, only male rats displayed increased iBAT GSH levels (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and reduced CAT activity (<i>p</i> < 0.01). In summary, undernutrition during adolescence affects body composition, glucose homeostasis and redox status equally in males and females but causes long-term impairment of the redox status of iBAT only in male rats.